In The Blood
by jadedone
Summary: Hunted for his DNA, Sasuke of the Uchiha experiment can’t afford friendship or honour in the fight for survival, yet a certain idiot might reignite his faith in the human race...or lead them both to extinction [AU. Eventual NaruSasu]
1. Prologue: Only Human

**In The Blood**  
**  
**

**Summary:** Sasuke is one of the last Uchiha, a dying breed of a genetically superior race. He is hunted for the secret of his blood and he can't afford friendship or honour in the fight for survival, yet a certain idiot may just reignite his faith in the human race…or damn them both to extinction (futuristic/fantasy AU. Eventual NaruSasu)

**A/N:** So I haven't managed to get everything up that I wanted to, but this bunny stole my soul so I had to plan it out properly. Here's the Prologue, the first part of chapter one up on livejournal until I finish it...

**Prologue: Only Human**

A young boy, who looked rather exotic for the current locality with his dark eyes and pale complexion, scrambled up the side of an abandoned building, his bared toes finding uncanny purchase on the seemingly smooth surface.

Below there circled various 'Hunter' types, their sensory equipment rendered useless by a concentrated burst of chakra. He curled into the remains of an old ventilation shaft and waited out their search, his eyesight somehow picking out their physical features even in the dimness. Later he would hack into the Database and find out who they were and whether they would pose a future threat to him.

Luckily it was night and they were merely human, so as expected they eventually moved on in search of new prey.

Sharingan tracked them until they were out of sight before their possessor jumped from his perch, landing lightly in a crouch six stories down.

He made a mental note as he replaced his sandals and dusted off his shorts to find more concealing clothes; this time they had been ignorant of his true value, having targeted him only for his looks, which would still have gained a fair price on the flesh market. Had they realised who, and what he was, they would not have given up so easily. Next time he might not be so fortunate and would be forced to kill in order to escape.

He was an Uchiha after all and could not afford compassion.


	2. Chapter 1: The Reason Why

**Summary:** Sasuke is one of the last of the Uchiha, a dying breed of a genetically superior race. He is hunted for the secret of his blood and he can't afford friendship or honour in the fight for survival, yet a certain idiot may just reignite his faith in the human race…or damn them both to extinction (futuristic/fantasy AU. Eventual NaruSasu)

**Disclaimer:** Own Naruto I do or do not; there is no try. -sigh- And own it I don't

* * *

**Chapter I: The Reason Why...**

The idiot was sleeping when he returned to the dingy apartment, taking up the entire mattress, as usual. He shifted aside the dead weight with his foot for expediency's sake.

"Eh, wha-? Oh, Sasuke! You're back!" He sat, rummaging through his knapsack and graciously ignored the redundancy of that statement.

Naruto could not help being an idiot. Most kids were.

"Hey, bastard. Where've you bee - oh." The idiot then proceeded to tear into the food Sasuke had stolen from a random stall; it was the owner's fault for leaving it unattended.

Sasuke took a bite of his own out of the now cold roti, wrinkling his nose at the excessive sweetness. Still, sugars provided energy which Sasuke needed to keep his strength up, so personal preference had to take the backburner to pragmatism. As it usually did.

Running through his mental checklist he concluded that the night had been an overall success: he had achieved his primary objective in collecting this week's rent and on the way back had picked up some necessities such as food and new clothing. The Hunters were likely lower level amateurs, though he could check to be certain, once he paid their landlord…

"Ne." He grimaced as Naruto's oily fingers prodded at his arm. "Did you get chased again?" He made an indeterminate sound which the other took to mean an affirmative. "Oh. Should I go next time?" He turned to stare. "Wait! Hear me out first." Sasuke leaned back as the blond leaned in, in an attempt at conspiracy. "It's 'cause you look so…_different_ from people around here that you keep getting 'noticed'." Sasuke raised a brow. So what? As if the idiot could do better with all that orange… "While all I hafta do is cover up my whiskers and I'm all set!" A smug grin settled on the dopey face.

Sasuke sighed, muttering "It's your funeral," and shrugged, licking his fingers clean, before adding out of habit, "idiot."

Naruto bristled, his pupils elongating. "Bastard! I'm not some useless baggage you can just tug around and cast away whenever you feel like it! I'm just as capable as you are!"

In an instant Sasuke was straddling the stockier boy, his deceptively slender frame coiling to hold the other boy down with his entire weight, his legs clamping Naruto's, leaving Sasuke's hands free to twist the other's arms awkwardly by his sides. He leant in, his eyes flickering red amidst the black, "Listen carefully idiot; I'm only going to say this once," his tone a veritable hiss, "I don't need you. I tolerate you because I feel like it. I do what I want, when I want. I don't need a _child's_ help to survive..." glaring into angry-tearful blue eyes, his words coming faster, "and you are a child. Running away from daddy because you're a _spoilt little brat_ who has no idea how cruel the world can be and I won't let you drag me into another of your stupid little adventures more than you already have you complete _fucking_ moron –"

Sasuke instinctively moved back to avoid Naruto's attempted head butt, the sharingan working against him as Naruto then bucked up unseating him. Somehow he was flipped onto his back. He kicked, winding the other, and rolled back quickly onto his shoulders, off the end of the mattress and onto his feet. He was instantly on the defensive to the yelling Naruto's barrage of attacks. They crashed around the room, the confined space hindering his ability to counterattack effectively. When it came to brute strength Naruto had the advantage; his rage fuelled his strikes jarring the bones in Sasuke's arms as he blocked. He saw an opening and took it, slamming his palm up into Naruto's chin, pulling the strike so as not to break the idiot's neck. His reluctance to kill unnecessarily was his downfall as Naruto grabbed his extended arm before he could pull back, twisting it so that Sasuke had to follow the movement to stop it from snapping only to fold over the elbow to his gut. He managed a glancing knee to Naruto's side but his other foot slipped unexpectedly on the roti's oily wrapping paper. In the awkward stance, lacking oxygen, he was unable to catch himself as he fell, unfortunately tripping Naruto in the process so that the idiot landed on top of him.

Sasuke blinked, his head ringing from the impact with the wooden floor. Now Naruto was glaring down at him with red eyes, their positions reversed. He snorted at the irony.

"Shut up." Naruto's uncommonly cool tone took him aback. "You haven't got a clue about me or my life so just shut up." The other bowed his head, taking a shuddering breath. Sasuke started as the blond suddenly looked up revealing truly reddened eyes. "How dare you judge me for giving a damn. For thinking that maybe, just maybe, you do too." The other's voice hitched. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "What do you know about not being enough? About being second best, or worse, invisible… unnecessary." He turned his head away and took a calming breath.

"You're an idiot," he whispered finally to the uncaring wall, "and a fool for not going back while you still can."

"Then what does that make _you_?" He huffed at the attempted sarcasm. "What makes the _great_ Sasuke keep running?"

Tiredly he pushed at the blond who shifted to allow him to stretch his legs but no more without excessive effort. "Life." He added cynically, "And a death wish."

Naruto leaned in, in a warped mirror of earlier, "I don't want you to die." Slowly Sasuke turned to look into earnest blue eyes, a strange stinging sensation in his own. He blinked it away, blaming stray rays from the rising sun and dust motes.

"Whatever. Just let me sleep, idiot." Before he ran out of excuses for the reason why, he too, did not want the blond to die…

_**Six years ago: the Uchiha precinct**__**, south training hall**_

"_Again." Sasuke forced his trembling to subside and turned his focus inwards to find that spark of light within him once more. A flicker of rebellious energy danced just out of reach. He slowed his breathing to match, until they flowed in sync. Mastering himself in order to tame that spark and turn it into a ro__aring flame to earn his clan's Name._

_His hands flashed through the traditional control seals, molding the life force necessary for this technique as his lungs filled to capacity with life-giving oxygen. He could feel it! This time the __energy gathered would ignite the air as it escaped along the pathway he had created with his mind, bringing light to the surrounding darkness. Yes! Just a little bit more –_

"_Enough. You are trying too hard when it should be second nature." Disappointment scattered his control and the light flickered out of his mental grasp, fading into the background once again. Coughing, he tried to rid his lungs out of the now stale air, his legs finally collapsing under the strain of exhaustion. For the next few minutes the only sound audible in the darkened area was the harsh panting of a young boy trying to regain lost breath and composure. Finally he subsided into quiet, silent tears of frustration cooling his flushed face. Angrily he brushed them away._

"_Here." He started, berating himself for not having felt his brother's proximity before the touch of cloth to his cheek. However, embarrassment for his inattention to his surroundings was soon forgotten as he nuzzled into the rare contact. "What did you see, Sasuke?"_

_His face lit up in__ childish delight as he remembered the flash of light and warmth within him. Like the stories of the sun, but smaller; seemingly close yet so far and just beyond that…_

"_I saw the moon, big brother." He strained his eyes now, the darkness, as ever, concealing all but his brother's outline; a slightly darker figure amidst the shadows. He visualised the flash of light revealing that beloved figure again: An underlying flow of power, cool and controlled and invisible to the human eye. An inexorable force of nature drawing in the light of the sun and filtering it, guiding it. A silvery glow like the halogen lighting he used to study alone by, but just _more_…His thoughts scattered as his brother pulled away._

_Already he missed the touch of moonlight securing the sun._

"_Brother has to go now, little one." Sasuke nodded. O__pened his mouth, then closed it, deflating. "Hm?"_

"_I." Sasuke hesitated once more, before adding shyly. "Tell me about the sun, brother. Please?"_

_He shifted as his brother sighed. He was an idiot. Brother already wasted enough time with him and now he wanted a bedtime story? Pathetic. _

"_It gives light to the moon," His head jerked up in wonder, "and colour to the world." He strained to hear the rest. "It warms us all and without it we would die." Sasuke smiled and found the courage to reach back in the __near-perpetual Uchiha darkness. A cool hand squeezed his smaller one briefly in acknowledgement and he felt his heart sing in tune with the light. This time he felt it when his brother left and whispered a secret hope on the way to his room for the sun to protect his brother; the only one who ever looked at him as a real person anymore._

_As __he drifted between waking and dreaming, only his internal clock to calculate the passage of time, he recalled a time long ago when the yellow flash of a man like the sun fought against the fires of hell under the reddened moon…_

…and awoke to the last vestiges of day creeping away, checking the ancient digital clock out of habit, satisfied to see that he had awoken on time. Naruto was dozing in front of the idiot box, and he closed said idiot's mouth to prevent drool from messing up the upholstery more than it already was. A quick survey of the room found it secure, as expected, and a bit messier, which was natural too with only the idiot to wander about and take care of the place while he was out.

He snorted softly at the thought that he would make a better housewife than the blond. Not that there was such a thing as a housewife these days, except in Pre-Change movies…

He turned the old flatscreen off to conserve electricity as he gathered up this week's rent, kicking the remains of breakfast/dinner to an already stuffed corner. He would have to bully the idiot into cleaning up later. What the hell was he doing all day anyway? A headache was already forming at the thought of the whining that would ensue and he toyed with the idea of just using a fire technique on the place. It could hardly get worse, right?

After the requisite amount of procrastination (a filthy habit he had no doubt picked up from the idiot) he grit his teeth, feeling (almost) prepared for his weekly torture session. His hand hovered over the touchpad of the door. Right. One more thing.

He walked back over to the ratty couch, taking in the relaxed face free of any marks he had inflicted in their earlier (routine) struggle and grimacing at the twinge of his own aches. Not everyone could have a freaky life force that healed them preternaturally and gave them super strength. He consoled himself with the thought that he could kill the idiot right now if he so wished; his hand flexed just above the idiot's throat. The blond didn't even twitch; no doubt convinced that everyone was a forgiving fool like him and that Sasuke would only get revenge for earlier when he could see it coming. A bitter smile twisted his lips. Naruto was too trusting, whatever he may say about his past. The fact that _Sasuke_ had had to save him at all was proof enough of that and three months with the moron had cemented that belief. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to drag the idiot around…

A memory unbidden of a touch of warmth and light in the dark nudged at his consciousness and habitually he shoved it back. No. That was a fool's dream. Uchiha were not meant for the light. They were warriors of shadow like the ninja of old. They had no dreams. _He_ had no dreams; the sharingan saw to that, filing away all memory without the tediousness of REM sleep; cutting through all illusion, even the ones one tried to tell themselves.

Only those without a Name had dreams as evidence of their weakness, and he had a Name. He was not weak. Sasuke glared once more at the sleeping blond.

He was the last true Uchiha; he could not afford to be weak.

Walking back to the door, he keyed himself out before he had to acknowledge the flash of vivid blue eyes from the couch surrounded by a yellow to rival the sun, and the barely audible, "be safe."

tbc...

* * *

**A/N:** next part as soon as I get time. Concrit would be helpful. to the voices in her head ;D 


	3. Chapter 2: Shadow Metropolis

**Chapter warnings**: (which everyone will ignore) **Propositioning of a minor**, **drug use** (abuse?), various people's **potty mouths **and upcoming **violence **(yeah. _Naruto_ kind of has that doesn't it? coughchidoricough) and other such uncomfortable things to earn the rating. woot?

Also, possible **spoiler** reference about Naruto's father (which was kind of obvious really and you probably already know about it. Whatever, don't come crying to me)

**A/N**- this chapter kind of ran away from me and as to the title, well; when in doubt use both XD

* * *

**Chapter 3: Shadow Metropolis aka The Shadowside of Emerald City **

Sasuke walked past the elevator without pause to the end of the hall. Due to the landlord's paranoia it was a death trap waiting to happen, though he preferred the stairs anyway because of his own healthy sense of paranoia about being in a confined space reliant on technology that could be easily tampered with.

By rote he leapt over the stairway's patches of corrosion, which were all too deliberate in placement, indicating more potential traps. At times he would duck and dart forward at seeming random to avoid both the obvious and hidden security cameras. Ten floors up there was a missing landing which he circumvented by walking up the wall.

The door to apartment 1602 was the only one left slightly ajar and he sighed, tapping the wall by it three times by three in the usual sequence. A vidscreen popped open revealing a large reddened face that clashed horribly with its lime green hair.

"You're late, bitchy-boy! I should throw you an' your fuckin' pet Bozo to the fuckin' Shadows!"

Sasuke flipped the screen a rude gesture, "Bitch, yourself, pervert. Cut the light show or cry over the split milk." He brandished the rent satchel threateningly. Ignoring the lewd return commentary, he stepped through the now deactivated entrance lasers. Inside was a corridor filled with 21st century memorabilia, which he bypassed without triggering the spring-loaded scythes and other such fun things, by doing a sort of hopscotch on the pressure-sensitive floor panelling. The old bastard found that hilarious every time, which was just more proof that he failed at life.

Tragically, Sasuke was the closest thing to a friend that the ex-Hunter had, which basically summarised all that was wrong with the world.

Brushing past several more gadgets of doom, he finally came to the 'inner sanctum' that consisted simply of the bastard's real apartment. He knocked again.

This time the reinforced door slid back without ceremony or the whisper of hydraulics. Cautiously, he stepped into the entrance hall, blade ready to deflect any incoming projectiles. He was unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed to find the bastard lounging, casually chewing on pretzels and watching 'free porn' also known as the nightly activity of some of his other tenants.

Sasuke made a mental note to check their apartment for spyware again. Just to be sure.

The bulky man suddenly let out a loud belch and Sasuke nearly walked out right there. Screw the rent. Surely no amount of security was worth _this._

"Oi! Took you long enough, princess. Thought I'd hafta sell your fuckin' corpse…or _something_." Ludicrously green eyebrows wiggled like fish bait. Sasuke took a moment to imagine that lovely scene in action. "Though I'd prefer a little life in that fuckin' frigid ass of yours I doubt it'd make much _fuckin'_ difference either way." No; piranhas would be too good for the perverted bastard.

"Here." He tossed the small satchel to the fucker and turned as if to leave. "Do it yourself."

"Whoa, whoa, feisty-boy. You wouldn't deprive a dyin' man of life's few remainin' pleasures would you?" Sasuke cocked his head, aiming a _look_ at said dying man. "Alrigh', so you would. How about I double your hot water quota and we call it evens?" Sasuke let him worry a bit, easily ignoring the pathetic attempt at puppy eyes. Naruto was a demon at those and Sasuke had developed somewhat of an immunity against them as a defence.

"Whatever. Double the _entire_ water quota, cut the crap and let me use the Database and I'll repress my utter repulsion towards you. For now."

The man sighed, waving away the stipulations, but eventually heaved himself up to fiddle with the quota valve and unlock the Database with a retinal scan. "You drive a hard bargain, bitchy-boy. Damn you'd make a fine Hunter." He smirked, crooking a finger. "Now come to papa."

Sasuke shoved him back onto to the couch leaning down to grab the satchel wordlessly. Two out of three was tolerable and at least he could have a long hot shower later on to wash away the troubles and grime of the last few days. That was more than most Shadow Metropolis residents could afford. He swatted aside the greedy fingers and took out the needle syringe, and swabbed it efficiently with some disinfectant. Next came the small unlabelled vial of a milky white substance that cost more than this entire tower block, being a class S non-tradable substance. He pressed the tip of the needle through the seal and drew out the entire contents, tapping the cylinder then depressing the syringe slightly to rid it of any air trapped. He then waited, staring straight into intent brown eyes as the old man finally deactivated his personal hologram.

Seven weeks of this had desensitized him to the drastic change of appearance. The hologram projected an image of before; a slightly aging, bulky man who could still frighten his low-life tenants into line with the sheer force of his personality…but that was the illusion. In truth, he was a sickly old man. A hereditary disease of the new age had ravaged away flesh from bone, leaving a sallow, emaciated shadow of his former self. Only incongruous green hair and brown eyes vibrant with the will to live remained the same.

Just two months ago this man had been capable of gathering his own 'medication' from the Shadow Metropolis' underbelly. The drug had a shelf life of only ten days and lost potency each subsequent day. Once in the body it delayed the breakdown of the cellular structure and was sometimes known as the 'Flighty Youth' drug because it had once been abused to extend lifespans unnaturally. However, the body soon became dependant on the substance and as most drugs, the more taken the greater the body's need of it, thus the more frequent the dosage required and the more likely it became for the druggie to catch the attention of the likes of local gangs and corrupt officials.

The old man had run afoul of some self-proclaimed 'toll collectors' who had left him without illusion or illegal substance, only sheer guts to defend with.

Pure chance had brought the then homeless young duo across this scene, of a fierce old man refusing to be blackmailed, fighting a losing battle against overwhelming odds.

Sasuke was used to life's injustices and had been turning away when the idiot had yet again proven his idiocy by loudly declaring for the entire fucking 'hood that Naruto Uzumaki would never stand for bullies preying upon the helpless while he was around, _believe it!_

Sasuke was unsure whether he or the old man had been more mortified. He had seriously considered leaving the blond there, but as usual, got caught up in the ensuing fight. Even worse, Naruto refused to kill, even with various thugs trying their best to take his blasted head off. Not that the idiot needed it anyway, but for fuck's sake it's self-defence if they are trying to kill you! Luckily Sasuke's chakra surge knocked out the more advanced weaponry leaving only guns and knives for them to worry about.

The old man's offer of a room to stay in from gratitude was obviously too good to be true, but by that point Sasuke had been sick of everything and had just wanted a place to sleep off his sharingan-induced headache and recharge. Fuck ulterior motives; let the idiot handle the conniving old man, who happily seemed just as irritated by the moron's mollycoddling as Sasuke was.

Sure enough, a week later the old man demanded rent or he would bring the entire Hunting District down on them: Surprise! Not.

Fucking pervert bastard. Sasuke had wanted to kill him but Naruto had to point out that at least he had warned them first. Yes. How charitable of him.

So, completely forbidding Naruto to ever pull a stunt like that again,

_('but Sasuke! We got a place out of it, didn't we?)_

which was a waste of effort, and breath for that matter,

_('but it was a _kitten_, bastard! How could I just leave it to drown like that?!)_

he took on the responsibility for the 'rent' himself because the idiot obviously lacked comprehension of those words.

So here he now was, doping up an old guy (whose name he'd never bothered to remember, as it seemed to change every other week) who was no longer able to safely do so himself due to deteriorating motor control causing hands to tremble at inconvenient times; a guy who would frankly be better off dead than with this half-life, but for some inexplicable reason still had the fervent desire to live.

Kind of like Sasuke, really, though he would cut his tongue out before he would even think of voicing such drivel.

He stepped back from the attempted grope, the drug now kicking in, and casually discarded the empty needle by throwing it at a worn dartboard. Bull's-eye.

"Mm, you're fine, boy. For a Freak. I know a good pimp a coupla blocks over who deals in fiiiine T-babies like you."

An unfortunate initial side-effect of the drug was increased perversion and euphoric babbling. Not that Sasuke could see much of a difference in behaviour, "As if that hair's natural." he snapped, regretting it the moment he assessed the other way that could be taken. "I mean you are obviously descended from a Labrat too."

The pervert shrugged, unabashedly rubbing at his crotch. "Yeah, but it's by degrees, babe. Some of us get funky dos from our mamas' 'Fluorescent Fantasy' gene therapy shit and some get their entire fuckin' DNA warped to fuck with the rest of the human race."

Sasuke grunted noncommittally, getting stuck into the Database.

"An' you. You're Freak-ier than most. You must be fifth gen at least, fucked up as you are. Blood Purists would burn you at a stake."

Right, so the red-head was a Class 2 Hunter. No special skills to speak of. Plain muscle and techno freak. Next.

"Probably not a T-tube baby then, 'cause that would mess with the code stability afta third gen. Not that you're fuckin' stable anyways."

So the blue one had had martial arts training; strange then that he hadn't noticed Sasuke climb up. Maybe he followed Post-Change ways; all style and no substance. The Database didn't distinguish between the two. A Class 3, but obviously overrated if he couldn't even sense a damn chakra discharge.

"Yeah. A right fuckin' mama's boy. Probably born an' raised in some backwater town. Got lost an' sold to slavers and went psycho on their asses, flamin' them all to shit."

Sasuke forced himself not to react as that last hit a little too close to home.

Level 1. Another Level 1. Another couple of 2s, quantity over quality was the amateur's coda it seemed…

"Imagine you'd fit right in with the freakos up in Emerald City, so you must be hidin' something big…or someone."

Sasuke told himself that he was leaving because he had gotten what he had come for. The old pervert played guessing games all the time. He was bound to get something right eventually. Still, he made a mental note to check on the emergency supplies to see that Naruto hadn't gotten into them again. It was about time that they moved anyway, before they became even more complacent with their surroundings.

After all, _fool_ _me once; shame on you, _but_ fool me twice…_

"_Up, Sasuke." The young boy blinked, shrugging off the vestiges of sleep as he scrambled to follow receding footsteps. A question went unvoiced as he stifled a yawn. With the recent pass of his Name trials his workload had increased to an insane amount. It made him admire his brother all the more for having achieved so much in so little time. Perhaps in another time and place he would have resented the attention focused on the older boy, but he now knew from experience that to be Uchiha was to aspire towards perfection and in pursuit of that impossible standard everything else was placed secondary or sacrificed. Like the lack of sun to maximise pupil dilation to encourage the development of sharingan…and minimised personal attachments to prevent conflicting ideals in missions._

_Sasuke could barely remember his mother, who had been little more than a broodmare to produce his brother and him with her best genetic compliment, his father, who was an equally distant figure that assigned him training katas and tutors. His only true companion was his elder brother who provided a role model and a daily impetus to improve._

_Sasuke would do anything for his brother and would like to think that the feeling was mutual._

_Thus it took until the third foreign turning for him to act on the feeling of wrongness._

_He stopped, "Brother," his voice, uncomfortably loud in the silence, rang back at him, "where are we going?" _

_He knew the instant he said it that he should have remained silent._

_The aura of tension intensified until he had to reach out for the wall to steady himself. He flinched as a cool hand touched his chin, lifting it. All his instincts told him to run,_ don't look, Sasuke, run! _But this was Itachi, so he looked up. _

_Red eyes filled his vision. "Foolish little brother." The blade-like spokes of strange sharingan began to spin.** "**Remember this:**Tsuyokomi."** And Sasuke screamed._

There would be no second time, because Sasuke could never forget and he had sworn never to let anyone get that close again.

And yet he felt like screaming now. The idiot often induced such impulses, but this time was decidedly more serious than a row over bathroom rights.

"I'm not moving bastard and you can't make me." Sasuke snarled and arched back to slam his head into the moron's nose. "Basta'd! Tha' hu't!" A few more minutes of obligatory struggling ensued until Sasuke decided that he was above such petty behaviour and settled in to brood, trying to subtly work out the kink in his shoulder as Naruto had his arms in a fairly awkward position. "Right. Now try actually _explaining_ why we've gotta move instead of just dragging me by the ear (which _hurt_ you bastard!) so I can tell you why we shouldn't." It annoyed him that he had only bruised the idiot's nose (and hadn't knocked him out when he had the chance) and that he had actually allowed himself to be pinned. Again. It was only more proof that he was becoming too complacent. And weak. He repeated an abridged version of these thoughts aloud. "That's bullshit. The old man won't rat us out. You said so yourself; he needs you." Sasuke grimaced. "And if we leave now he'll know for sure something's up and call the Hunters just to spite us. Geez, Sasuke. You're the one always telling me to think things through and one lucky guess has you freaking out." It was two, but the moron had a point. Not that he would ever admit it as that would only inflate the idiot's head even more. "Give it a few weeks. Better the pervert we know, right?"

"…Whatever. Your bloated ass is cutting off the circulation to my spine. Off." Sometimes Sasuke could almost imagine that the idiot actually had a working brain.

"Bastard! Not everyone wants to be a skinny Bratz doll like you!"

Then he opened his mouth to say stuff like that and the moment would pass.

* * *

Sasuke decided to stay 'home' more in the eventuality of having to make a quick exit, though he kept the more important items on his person should even the emergency pack be lost. Thus he suddenly had a lot more time to observe (read: criticise) the unusual domestic habits of his unlikely companion. The next few weeks thus went something like this…

* * *

"Move, moron."

"Go steal another couch or something. This one's property of Naruto Uzumaki. Says so right he- Uwah!"

"Hn. Idiot. You broke the remote…And it's only theft if you get caught."

* * *

with the occasional unsavoury moment…

* * *

"What is it?" Sasuke poked the brown…sludge-like thing with extreme caution. It squelched alarmingly in response.

"A masterchef, _masterpiece_. I got it off the cooking channel." Naruto was beaming at him. "I couldn't find any curry powder so I made some of my own."

Sasuke stared at the 'curry'; the 'curry' glared back.

Sasuke carefully set down his chopsticks and announced that he was going for takeout.

* * *

and the usual annoying moments...

* * *

Shower spray. Muffled cursing. Pause.

Sasuke poked hid head out from around the bathroom door.

He glared.

"Idiot. What did I tell you about the hot water."

"Er. To share it?" Hopeful grin while backing away.

"You. Used it. All...Again." He glowered. "It is _Mine_. So. **Back off. Bitch**."

Naruto glared back, "Bite me, Bastard - OW! You crazy shit, what the hell'd you do _that_ for?!"

Sasuke grinned toothily as Naruto snarled and sometime later they ended up running their respective wounds under the cold tap until the week's cold water quota ran out too.

Sasuke contemplated the pros and cons of drowning himself in the toilet rather than having to go up and wheedle for more water in only a towel, which was the only remaining clean item he possessed. Except Naruto's boxers. Which he did not possess and had no desire to.

In the end he decided to go in the cleanest looking outfit and dragged the idiot along with him with the promise of the first wash.

It was worth it to see the trauma on the idiot's face after seeing the old pervert in his natural habitat.

Naruto was surprisingly considerate in his water usage after that little experience.

* * *

to keep him on his toes, he soon realised that idiocy would always trump apathy…

* * *

"Why are your eyes all lopsided anyway?" Sasuke turned slowly to stare into Naruto's curious look. His own face must have aptly conveyed his feeling of WTFness because Naruto sheepishly scratched his head.

"Er, I mean, this one," Sasuke turned his stare to the finger jabbing the air in front of his left eye, "only has one…squiggly thing, while that one," he was tempted to take a chunk out of the other finger, "has two." Naruto nodded solemnly.

"Congratulations. You can count." Sasuke casually turned back to the television, committing to memory the martial arts moves on screen as he had Naruto's outraged spluttering.

He got to try some of them out when Naruto predictably leapt at him and was satisfied yet again that a missing tomoe made no difference at all in his ability to kick idiot butt.

* * *

and in the interests of saving his remaining sanity he found that he had to adapt to a wide array of unusual activity, often at the most inconvenient of times…

_Unbelievable_.

Sasuke took a calming breath as the other boy snorted, shifting in his sleep to take all the blankets. Right. He could handle this.

After several frustrating minutes of trying to pry the covers from Naruto's death grip he gave up, NOT-sulking.

A few minutes later he was shivering, sharingan whirling as he contemplated setting the idiot alight with a fire technique; that way either he'd be warm or Naruto would wake and learn to share. Either way, he would win.

He cackled quietly, gathering the chakra required.

Then Naruto shifted again, jerking over to smother Sasuke under 50 kilos of pure idiocy, and began to snore against Sasuke's left ear.

Loudly.

With a twitching eye Sasuke tried to gain the leverage to shove the idiot off, but lack of oxygen and elbow room made that difficult. He managed to squirm halfway out from under the weight before Naruto snorted and wormed a leg about his, unconsciously holding Sasuke's right arm in a death grip foiling Sasuke's intention to punch him off. Sasuke's other arm was numb at this point from being squished and exhausted he began to count, breathing in time with the idiot. No problem. At least he was warm now, right? Right.

Sasuke was determined to ignore the heat of a foreign breath on his neck as best he could.

Then Naruto started to drool onto Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke suddenly found the strength to kick the idiot off into the wall opposite the bed.

The ensuing fight kept them up half the remaining night after which they both crashed unto unconsciousness until early morning when Naruto woke Sasuke to complain about _him_ hogging the blankets.

After tying the idiot up within a cocoon of sheets, Sasuke kicked him again for good measure.

* * *

but he had persevered, only taking time 'out' to pick up the rent and sundry, as well as keeping up to date with any changes in infrastructure and regional bosses. The so-called Shadow Metropolis was a badly planned warren of overlapping city blocks both upwards and outwards. It only got worse the further into the city centre, which was entirely overlapped by the infamous Emerald City; a hedonist's playground of pristine causeways and entertainments of various kinds. The Shadowside of the City was thus called because it existed in near-perpetual darkness under it and had taken on an identity of its own, as the economical and social divide between city levels increased on an annual basis. The 'entertainments' found there were equally shady though it could be granted that at least they were 'honest' about their dishonesty. Emerald City could be just as jaded although more subtle about its corruption.

They were fortunate to live on the fringes of the divide and thus in a fairly neutral zone. However, there was always a risk and it was Sasuke's self-appointed task to minimise that risk. Up until recently he had spent all his nights wandering the city streets; the Sharingan made mapping out the best escape routes and the surrounding city blocks a cinch in theory, but his nightlong usage had been wearing down on his reserves leaving him drained come dawn's light. Naruto had made the headache worse by loudly proclaiming _"who's the idiot now, genius?"_ every. damn. time.

At least he no longer had to deal with that and more energy meant that he was better prepared for the old man's coming betrayal.

But it was hard to keep up the anxiety of an indefinitely future event after three weeks of nothing more stressful than the old guy's usual perversion and the idiot's usual ignorance…

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"What's a 'boytoy', anyway?"

There was a moment's comfortable silence due in part to the level of killing intent he was giving off. Perhaps the idiot had some self-preservation after all.

"It sounds kinda cool. Can I have one?"

* * *

regardless, they eventually fell into something almost, dare he say, _domestic_…

* * *

"No." Sasuke took out his annoyance on the poor fish carcass. The crack of cartilage/bone was almost loud enough to mask the sound of Naruto's whining. For about three seconds.

"Raaamen. _**Ramen!**_ I waaant raaaa–" The cutting blade embedded itself a centimetre from Naruto's pouting face. Sasuke was disappointed to note that the moron hadn't even bothered to pretend to flinch. Obviously lack of proper nutrition was affecting what few brain cells the idiot had had to begin with.

Sasuke had banned the neighbouring tenants from giving the idiot anymore MSG-saturated shit calling itself food. On pain of pain. Then he had made an example of the bitch on the floor above for thinking herself 'above' this simple rule by giving her mongrel Fifi a brief lesson in flight.

It was one of the great mysteries of the universe why apathetic, self-serving, self-preserving scum such as those found in the mid-levels of Shadowside City would suddenly develop a charitable streak towards puppy-eyed blonds.

Hn.

He tilted his head slightly so that he could see said blond in the reflection from a hanging pot in the kitchenette. The idiot was lying suspiciously quiet and Sasuke wondered idly as he began slitting open the fish's belly with a smaller knife, deftly removing the small bones, whether one could expire from MSG withdrawal. It would explain a lot about the idiot's behaviour thus far if he was, in fact, an odd sort of drug addict.

His musings were disrupted when Naruto suddenly flopped over onto his belly wailing looking nothing more than an overgrown toddler throwing a tantrum.

Or a fish out of water.

Sasuke smirked as he began to chop the now headless and gutless fish, imagining that it was the blond. _Kukuku..._

He scowled as he felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down to see big woobly eyes pleading up at him. "That won't work." The eyes got bigger. "Go away." The lower lip began to tremble. "For fuck's sake! Have some pride!" He tried to shake the idiot off, uncomfortable with the idea of kicking such a pathetically prostrated being.

"Please!"

"No. Off."

"Please, Sasuke, pretty please I'll do the cleaning I swear!"

"I said _no_. You suck at cleaning, anyway. Now get up and get off you complete moron."

"Wah! Sasuke's so mean to me! Waaah!"

"Oh for _fuck's_ sake I'll make you your fucking ramen, just _fuck off_!"

He studiously ignored the chanting of the 'Ramen for the win' song as he dashed up some proper food…and ramen.

As they ate, ("Wash your hands first idiot. Or this goes in the disposal unit.") Sasuke took a moment to savour the irony of Naruto's hungry look towards his tempura udon as the idiot nursed his own instant ramen.

And he had to hide a smile (of triumph; smirk, really) when for seconds, Naruto nicked some of Sasuke's remaining udon wordlessly instead of griping about it.

* * *

they were in danger of having a routine. Something was bound to happen to break it, and on the third week it finally did.

* * *

"This sucks." Sasuke speeded up, agreeing wholeheartedly with that assessment. "I mean, for once …I get to go with you …and a frigging…electrical storm …kicks in." Note to self; never bring Naruto anywhere. Ever. Again. "What are the …chances…of _that?"_

For a while there was only the rumble of building static and harsh breathing, Sasuke's snort lost somewhere in-between. Then Sasuke spied an alcove and dragged the idiot into it by the scruff.

Panting for breath they huddled under a 'borrowed' storm coat. Sasuke closed his eyes as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle in warning. He instinctively suppressed his chakra.

The smell of ozone burning his sinuses was a mere afterthought to the lightning etched into his mind's eye as it struck a nearby storm-drain.

The discharge overloaded his senses despite his precautions and he dug his nails into Naruto's nape to ground himself, but that was okay because the idiot was gouging into his arm with his blasted claws.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?! Answer me, bastard!" He felt a scream catch in his throat like an aborted fire technique as another fork of lightning arched to strike close enough to send steaming mortar and metal alloy billowing past.

Naruto yelled, dragging them flush back against the wall and bundled them tighter within the dubious protection of the insulated coat. One of the hazards of living under the technological nightmare that was Emerald City was the build-up of latent energy that had to be dispersed somehow. The frowned upon but most popular method was gathering and redirecting it to the poorer districts of the mid to lower levels of the Shadow Metropolis. Overload and miscalculation was uncommon but nonetheless inevitable with idiots trying to exploit this unnatural resource and the current lightstorm was the result of such human tampering causing a leak in one of the main conduits releasing billions of watts of energy into the lower city.

Buildings were generally protected against the effects of such 'storms' with stormdrains and such, but for anyone unfortunate enough to get caught up outside…

Naruto suddenly snarled, hauling him up and out of the alcove into the storm proper. The storm coat was lost in the process and Sasuke's hair stood on end as the air behind them superheated stealing the moisture from his skin before an outbreak of sweat brought it back, the stutter of his heart was punctuated by the squeaky pop of the coat overheating, expanding and finally, exploding. If they had been but a nanosecond longer –

His senses flared again and he returned the favour by dragging his heels and pivoting with Naruto's momentum to toss them back at least ten feet. His teeth rattled at the closeness of the strike. Fuck it! No way that their luck could be that bad! Perhaps twice could be called a coincidence, but three times?!

His senses spun from the overload as the lightning seemed to track them as they ran and he searched for his core for stability only to latch onto Naruto's instead.

And almost recoiled both mentally and physically back into the storm.

A vast ocean, a _world_ of heat roiled just beneath the surface; a force so overwhelming that it tried to suck him in and assimilate him unto its mass like a comet caught by the gravitational pull of a star –

With a jolt of will he snapped the link, coiling back unto his centre, only to be physically shoved off the edge of a walkway to dodge the next bolt.

For endless moments they fell and then he felt the heat of Naruto's chakra swell in an attempt to stop their descent.

"**NO!** **Naruto **_**you're pulling it in!**_** Cut the chakra, **_**NOW**_!"

His eyes snapped open to track the throwing cable's path until it latched into a nook. His arms jarred painfully as the line drew taught and Naruto clung desperately to his packstraps as they swung at high velocity towards a lower walkway. Sasuke fed the line frantically, his breath lost to the wind of their passage. Naruto began to slip and without thought Sasuke wrapped his legs under the other's arms, ankles locking about Naruto's back, as Naruto gripped at his back. _**Come on. **__Just a bit more_ -

And they were tumbling uncontrollably over the pavement, bruising elbows and knees and each other in the process, and for a heartbeat all he could think was that _I'm alive, we're alive. We did it, I – _and then the storm flared once more in vengeance, luminance searing straight onto his retinas and thankfully his mind blanked into darkness.

_For an eternity after he had wandered the Uchiha catacombs. Time seemed to cease to exist. Only the imperative that he keep moving spurred his tired feet on. A thousand memories crowded his head from blood to blood. Left of here was the crèche where he had grown up under the supervision of professional carers. To the right was the circle for advanced and independent study. Behind him was the study hall where he had tested out of the starter group to be granted a guide of his very own._

_He laughed, because he could; like how Itachi killed everyone, because he could._

_He laughed again when he reached the highest level on the south side and typed in the override code for the lockdown. Everyone with a Name knew it, so Sasuke knew it a thousand-fold. Or maybe he exaggerated. He could not be sure until the world stopped spinning, until the memories stopped crowding his head - _

"_**As expected of my blood." - "You got some blood on your chin. No, there." - "Damn, Itachi. You sure did a number on him. That blood will take forever to get out." – "She's third generation. She will do." – "The Uchiha blood is obviously superior." – "-but the children, Fugaku-" "Are not yours, Mikoto. They are the clan's now."**_

_He stepped out into the gathering twilight and almost stepped back in. He could see clearer than he ever had. He could see everything - _

"_**I'm scared of the dark, brother." "Then you must find your guiding light." – "I hate the Hyuga. Those sunside suckups." "You hate everyone." – "What's a mummy?" – "So weak. He'll never gain the sharingan. At this rate he'll make genin by the next great Change." – "I love you. Even if you're normal." **_

_Here was where his uncle had died. Suicide. His father had never forgiven that weakness. Sasuke smiled and giggled as he traced the kanji on the stone and promised that he would do better - _

– "_**He's extraordinary. We accept the contract terms." – "The Master only wants the best." – "I understand." – "Why are you doing this?" – "The Uchiha are obsolete. I have surpassed them." – "You are unnecessary."**_

_Here was where his mother had run to after stealing him from the crèche. Carrying both him and Itachi halfway to the border before the Demon's attack had brought out both Uchiha and Hyuga in force, forcing her to abort her attempt at freedom as they were caught up in the battle and Mikoto turned to defend their country. Sasuke sat and cried bitterly vowing that he would honour her sacrifice and fulfil her goal to forever be free –_

"_**The Blood is diluting despite our best efforts." "Indeed. Issue the order for all Uchiha to be recalled immediately. Implement Stage 3 and start a new cycle. If the situation has not improved within the next decade…activate Project Noah." "Yes, Master." – "What a waste of blood…and talent. It almost makes one cry." – "The key is in the blood. Only the one with the light can access it." "What of the boy?" "He is but a pale imitation and a liability. Kill him."**_

_And here was the valley where his brother had drowned his best friend, (because even an Uchiha could have friends if it benefited them,) in order to gain the ultimate sharingan. A sharingan that could warp minds and hearts and blood against blood. Sasuke stared unto his reflection and saw the ripples of his future playing out and fading and despaired at the burden he had been given. The burden to run and survive amongst the shadows of an unknown world with only the guidance of seven limited years' experience and a storm of unsorted memories filling his head with the sum of his brother's brilliant madness – _

_**And a black flame came and the spoke's of fate's wheel spun and took all the clan's memories away, bar one, and filled Itachi's mind with a painful clarity of just what he had done and he pressed them back like **_**so**_** and then he knew that it was too much to touch perfection and lest he be consumed by his own power, become complacent like all those who played at being God, he must have an avatar, a vessel for the past to challenge him for the future. So he chose Sasuke and burnt the memories of a hundred, a thousand, sins and motives into his young mind. **_

_**And he saw that it was Good.**_

_And with the weight of his clan's memories bearing him down, threatening to send him spiralling unto insanity, Sasuke took a risk and turned to the east with dark eyes burning, and stared straight into the light of the dawning sun –_

_Until everything went white._

Sasuke awoke to the flare of chakra in front of him with a start. It took a moment to realise that he was draped over Naruto's back with his limbs held awkwardly about the other's shoulders and waist. While he usually would take offence at such an undignified hold he lacked the energy for any decent attempt at invective.

Sasuke blinked twice, shifting, before he realised that the darkness was the result of his eyes temporarily not working due to residual flash blindness rather than from an external blackout. Tentatively he reached out with his chakra to confirm that they were 'home'…

"Interesting. The Uchiha seems to be blind."

…and abruptly flipped free of Naruto's slackened grip to face the direction of the two intruders.

"Who the fuck cares? It's Uzumaki we came for. Or should I say, _Namikaze Naruto_."

Tbc…

* * *

A/N – so who's here for Naruto? Tune in and see -smirk- Though any questions will be appreciated so that I can see what makes sense and what, well, doesn't. I'll answer best I can without spoiling the plot. XD. Thanks to all those who've reviewed thus far and are following this crazy tale. Enjoy. I know I am.

* * *


	4. Chapter 3: Hunted

**In The Blood **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sasuke; Naruto does, and he's currently in dispute with Kishimoto over making that legal.

**Chapter warnings:** Bastardization of a star wars quote (I couldn't resist), violence/gore, implications of abuse, innuendo, swearing, and quite possibly, I blaspheme (dodges like Kyo, the witchhunters), character death …and I think that's it. XD

And thanks muchly for the reviews. -is giddy- I heart you all -bounces like Naruto on Sasuke's…bed- -waggles brow-

* * *

**Chapter 3: Hunted**

One of the concessions Sasuke had refused to make in regards to their temporary residence was the wooden floor panelling. Man-made substances were cheaper, true, but insulation purposes aside, natural materials having residual life energy of their own took to chakra manipulation much more readily, from wall-walking to trap concealment.

A flicker of will and the mains supply to the majority of the building cut off.

Target One was already moving and Sasuke fought the instinctive urge to jerk away from the sensation of static upon his senses and set off the pockets of energy and smoke bombs scattered about that area of the room as well as muting his own chakra to confuse the other's uncanny ability to track him. He ducked back from the Loud One's pounce, warned by the so-called 'battle-cry'. The frustrated growl clearly gave him a target for his fist and he merely incapacitated the fool for later questioning instead of tearing out his throat. He spun out of reach of grasping hands, Naruto's frantic yelling to stop ignored with exasperation. Oh, for the love of – hadn't they already been through this? This one was needed for questioning, then would have to be eliminated as well lest he report to his superiors…but first, Target One.

Sasuke had the advantage having been trained in darkness but One was undoubtedly a good Tracker. His first few blade strikes were also dodged skilfully. The angry buzz of insects attempting to drain his life force threatened to scramble his senses at the least so he focused on subsuming his chakra under a layer of will; become your surroundings in mind and your focus becomes your reality –

"Sasuke, I said _**STOP**_!" That same overwhelming surge of chakra crashed over him once more leaving him disorientated and he barely managed to deflect a return strike and keep his feet by sheer stubbornness. _"THAT MEANS YOU TOO, ABURAME!"_

Sasuke leapt back, skidding to a halt with one foot against the wall ready to send him springing off again. His head jerked around to keep an ear on the known enemy and one on the potential new one. "Explain, Uzumaki. Now."

"They're from Konoha. Not enemies. So stop trying to kill them, bastard!"

Sasuke coiled his chakra at the ready. "What the fuck? You know them." His blasé tone belied his growing rage.

"No, wait. It's not what you think –"

"You set me up." His voice grew quieter.

"No! I'm finished with Konoha, I swear –"

"You're what?!" The Loud One rasped and Sasuke coolly noted that he recovered quickly. "You son of a pock-marked _bitch_." He coughed horribly and Sasuke felt a tinge of satisfaction that he had 'left his mark'. It would be annoying if he healed as quickly as Uzumaki. "What about Sakura? And _Hinata_. She still – "

"Kiba. Enough." Sasuke could hear the skittering of a thousand insects returning to whence they came, but did not relax his guard. "You will increase the damage to your throat." Which would a bad thing, why?

"No. Let him finish yipping. What about, 'Hinata'?" A cold front was imminent from the majority of the people in the room. If only he could break through his own ice he could set the world afire.

"My best friend." He listened apathetically. "We grew up together. You know; two failures might make a right?" Sasuke tracked Naruto as he walked to the couch by memory to slump on it, but kept the majority of his attention on the other two. "Actually, we all grew up together in a way, at the Academy under the tutelage of Iruka-sensei. Sure I got ignored; got lauded and it got pretty damn confusing at times but I had Hinata to laugh it over with and Iruka-sensei was alright after he got that stick out of his behind." Naruto snorted softly and Sasuke dismissed the Aburame's quiet fussing over fixing the Loud One's throat as non-threatening.

"Then they split us up into squads, determined by whether we passed or failed, and somehow we did, and someone must have really hated me 'cause I got stuck with scary Sakura, stupid Sai and _Kakashi-sensei_ who is totally the last person who should ever teach. Ever." He shifted his foot, wondering when the idiot would get to the point. "And yeah, we got a string of shitty missions 'cause, it's not like we were _trained_ or anything for proper ones and I tried, you know, to make the best of it. Keep my nose clean, clean out the Academy's mess hall; make my father proud and all that lovely shit."

Sasuke told himself that the clench within was chakra-induced, not because of Naruto's self-deprecating laugh.

"Then we finally got what we wanted; a real mission. On the Outside and all. Even Sakura was pleased 'cause she would finally get to show off to Ino how much she'd grown. And I thought – I had – just once. For once, I'd get the chance to be me. Screw everyone else, but I could – prove to myself – I –"

"Idiot. You'll mess up the upholstery." Sasuke ignored the Loud One's snort as he shoved a cloth in the idiot's face. There was nothing wrong with being hygienic. Naruto was the emotional idiot as seen now. He was no such thing.

"Your father was not responsible for the assassination attempt, Naruto. It was Orochimaru." Sasuke felt himself sway as white noise filled his head.

"Orochimaru's after you?" His voice seemed to come from a distance, tinny and weak, as the room began to tilt. Naruto's was achingly loud in comparison as the idiot caught and shook him.

"Sasuke?! Are you –?"

Hell no. Not –

* * *

"_Again?" Sasuke shook his head. "You'll never get better, child, if you don't try." Sasuke just turned away. The old woman tutted but let him be. _

_At the soft click of the bedroom door, Sasuke waited until her unsteady footsteps receded then tried opening his eyes once more._

_Nothing. He could feel the slight stirring of the air currents from the air conditioner but everything vision-wise was still a complete blank. Carefully he reached out with his other senses and brushed against the low hum of electrical cables, skirting around them to the woodland outside. Feeling nothing more hostile than a couple of feuding squirrels he held the scan for a few moments longer to push himself before drawing it back with an exhausted huff. _

_Pitiful. He was lucky not to be eaten by a wild animal upon crossing the Valley's border if this was the state of his control. With the direct contrast between his lacking ability's and Itachi's he could no longer deny his weakness. Only luck, of both kinds, had gotten him this far, through dank forests and rocky terrain to a near-fatal fall down a ravine into a river, to a solitary old lady who for whatever improbable reason would live in the middle of nowhere and take in a scruffy half-starved blind kid. Only a whim had spared him the same fate as his clan. Were he a Hyuga he would call it fate. _

_But he was an Uchiha and he was tired of destiny and its machinations. He had to get stronger, and he had the memories and will to do it._

* * *

_It was only later that Sasuke realised how odd it would be for an old woman, in the middle of nowhere, to have working electricity, even in this day and age._

_He realised too late, but even as the Hunters dragged him off he found the strength to ask why._

"_Because you're an abomination to the Almighty! A Freak of the so-called New Age. **Your kind** attempt to unravel the Divine Mystery of Creation. Your very existence is a plague on mankind. For every day I have had to bear your soulless presence in my home I have prayed for forgiveness that the Merciful Lord may deliver me from your evil and –"_

"_Oh, for fock's sake. Shut that ol' biddy up, already. I've gotta bloody hangover she's makin' worse."_

"_You dare! After my years of service, I-AIEE-!" Sasuke listened numbly as the woman's body hit the floor with finality._

"_Never liked her anyway. Damn Purists." Sasuke jerked, trying to call up his life energy for a quick strike and –_

_Nothing._

"_Oi. The brat's tryin' something." His arms were twisted up to breaking point. He bit back a whimper. _

"_Probably the powers we were told about. 'Chakra' or life energy based, I believe."_

_Sasuke started to draw blood from his lip with his teeth at the tightened grip upon his arms, which were grinding the bones together. "Do ya hafta sound like a bloody ponce, man."_

"_I shall desist as soon as you start speaking like a civilised being." The man behind him snorted. "You might want to stop crushing his arms as well. The old witch did something right by feeding him the suppressants, so he is fairly harmless." Sasuke snapped his teeth at the cool touch to his face, his legs too shaky for a kick. "Shame about Orochimaru. He is a pretty one and you know what that old bugger does to those like him…especially the ones with spirit."_

"_Yeah, well, get yourself a pet or something to ease the pain o' bereavement. Me? I prefer the money meself."_

"_Very funny. You should do stand-up comedy. Seriously."_

_Sasuke made one more attempt to break free of the 'chakra'-suppressing drugs' effects and the man's hold but ended up dislocating his arm causing him to black out._

* * *

"_- up, little one. You're safe now." Sasuke kept his heart rate steady and respiration that of natural sleep as he searched for his life ener – chakra. Best to get into the habit now of using the archaic terminology for security's sake. _

"_How amusing, Kabuto; the boy is attempting to hide within. Such a clever little serpent." Sasuke choked as he suddenly found himself without air at all. His chest heaved as he rolled off the metal surface to land on his feet, his chakra fighting back against the overwhelming pressure of the other's as he stumbled away._

"_As you say. Master." He blinked watery eyes from his place against a cool metal wall as the white-haired owner of that neutral voice came into focus far too close for comfort. _

_Suddenly he had his ability to breathe back._

_His hand lashed out and was caught gently yet securely. He stared at the close-eyed smile. How..? "Though if I may suggest, he is not ready yet. Master."_

"_Kukuku..." Sasuke started. How the __**hell**__ did he forget the other presence in the room?! He could feel it now, like something ancient and mercurial and yet finely honed – wait. He could __**feel**__ it, so that meant he could – _

"_Yes, Sasuke-kun. Do use that delicious power of yours." Sasuke almost nodded, entranced as he was by eerie golden eyes, but instead shook his head, clearing it and shoving his chakra deep and weaving an illusion about it, anchored within it, as he tried to disappear into the wall. "Hmph. Finish the tests on him, Kabuto. I shall come to, __**collect**__, our young friend. Personally." Sasuke suppressed a flinch at the gentle glide of an elegant finger upon a strand of his hair. "And do clean him up. I so despise filthy things."_

_The young man smirked softly but no less viciously for that as he whispered__ just audibly over the hiss of the closing doors__. "We shall have __**such**__ fun."_

* * *

Sasuke came to and was undecided whether he preferred that all but Naruto had left or not. A quick scan throughout the building showed that all was truly clear and he turned his focus inwards calculating what to do next. 

"Kiba got a message from Akamaru, so he and Shino left. They'll be back later." Sasuke's eyelids flickered open and he blinked a few times. Vision working; check. He kept his eyes unfocused as the idiot shoved his face near his own, squinting stupidly. "Hey, bastard. Are you still…blind?" He pretended not to notice the concern implied in furrowed brows, seeing as he could no longer pretend to be out.

"How did they find us?" _You_. He thought-amended bitterly. Always you.

"Uh, remember that dog you kind of threw outta the window and kind of used as a yo-yo to get back at that lady upstairs? (That was really mean, by the way. Total overreaction upon an innocent being) Well, he sort of spread the word about avoiding a, uh, 'psycho red-eyed weirdo with a cough whiskered blond…companion cough', which eventually got passed up the doggie version of the grapevine to Akamaru who reported it to Kiba who's probably gonna get you back for that and the throat thing at some point."

There was a moment of comfortable silence. Then Sasuke narrowed his gaze at a point over Naruto's shoulder. "Stop hovering over me moron. I'm not going to die." He ignored the goofy grin he received as he shoved Naruto off the bed. Sitting up in a meditative pose he scanned the room with sharingan, nodding as everything seemed in order both externally and internally. Blinking, he switched it off.

"You know Sasuke. That's two you owe me." Sasuke turned a droll look on the idiot who had bounced up and was now bouncing precariously on the edge of the bed. He was presented with two fingers. "One, for carrying your skinny ass back (do you ever actually _eat?_) and two, for talking Kiba outta turning your unconscious body inta a human yo-yo." Sasuke tilted his head considering, before letting a wicked curl overtake his lips.

Naruto's eyes widened comically and he stopped bouncing as Sasuke crawled in close enough to kiss. "Well. Why don't _you_…" He allowed his breath to tickle suggestively over the idiot's parted lips, "take it _out_…" and placed a hand on the idiot's reddening cheek, "…of your…" and _shoved_, "tab." He committed the gratifying image of the idiot's flailing backwards to land with a yelp on his ass to memory.

A brief ruckus later and they were sprawled once more on the bed with Sasuke using Naruto's back as a convenient footrest and warmer.

"There's been a coup in Konoha. Father's been displaced and Orochimaru voted in as acting Head by the Council." Sasuke raised a sceptical brow at the ceiling, as to why he should care.

"He's got Hinata."

Sasuke closed his eyes, fingers tracing the comfortably worn covers, wondering if he would ever live that long. He could try…"What does _he_ want with an idiot like you, anyway?" He finally asked.

He felt Naruto tense then forcibly relax with an indrawn sigh. "My father…who else?"

Sasuke turned his head to inhale the remnants of fabric softener. Something minty fresh. Another seeming frivolity he had insisted upon. "Bullshit." He breathed in accusation…and it almost covered the tenacious scent of boyish musk.

Naruto shrugged off his feet, shifting to sit up. "Then what do you think, Sasuke _Uchiha_? 'Cause I'm dying to know here, since all I ever seem to do is explain myself to your highness and get _fuck_all in return."

"Congratulations, you can swear. You now have the Sasuke seal of approval. Have a nice life." He glared up into Naruto's livid blue eyes. Still safe; still blue. "Get. The fuck. Off. Idiot."

"You'd like that wouldn't you, bastard." He stared unimpressed as Naruto tried to chicken him out as Sasuke had done earlier. "You'd like me to just disappear and leave you to wallow in your own self-pity." He could feel the idiot's breath wash hotly over his thinned lips. "Poor Sasuke, he's all alone 'cause he's pushed everyone away but that's alright as long as he can tell himself that it's better that way; better to be alone than to risk caring again, hurting again; to risk _lov _–"

Sasuke was not sure what he would have done to shut Naruto up if Kiba had not crashed into the room at that point yelling that they had to get out _now_, the Hunters were fucking onto them! causing Naruto to jerk away from him as if scalded, but he knew he would have regretted it, either way…

Best not to know.

* * *

They were running up the stairway. The raging inferno below kind of cut down their options for escape. 

And Sasuke had to see a pervert about some answers.

"Fuck, man! Who the fuck traps a friggin' crap stairway?!" Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Unbelievable. There was someone even louder and stupider than Naruto…

"Just follow the bastard's lead, Inuzuka! He's friends with the old man – they're both crazy-paranoid!" and yet again, he took that back. The Idiot still bore the title, undefeated.

Clearing the missing floor with a leap he snarled at the open door of apartment 1602, his chakra slamming into the security system unforgivably, shorting it out. He stopped at the threshold of the door, his sharingan tracked the backup generator's reboot of the system and he whipped out a natural fibre cable imbued with chakra that he guided with the sharingan to imbed in the door at the end of the corridor. His teeth caught the end of the line his hands flashing through the control seals.

"**Katon_: Ryuuka no jutsu."_** He intoned.

The corridor became a controlled inferno that threatened to backlash as the system overheated adding to the blaze, which had Inuzuka cursing in alarm for his and his mutt's life. Sasuke tuned out the byplay as Naruto joked about his pyromania being the perfect way to die – as if he would ever lose control over his element.

Cutting the energy fuelling it, soon had the fire petering out and with a screeching hiss the main target of the flames, the reinforced door having conducted the heat nicely, just toppled free of the remains of the _non_-reinforced wall surrounding it, landing with an anticlimactic thud.

Sasuke cleared the ruined corridor too fast for the roiling heat to register.

"You _bit_ – ack!" Sasuke slammed the old man up against the opposite wall before he could fire off the Neutrino66 and dislodged the weapon from his grip by slamming him once more into the wall for good measure.

His sharingan spun as the others came crashing into the room behind him, Inuzuka howling about the heat all the while. "Talk." He had checked the room for another presence prior to coming there but he checked again, noting that the Hunters below were milling about impeded by the traps on the stairway and shorted out elevator, not to mention Kurenai's illusions. Five minutes at most.

"Fuck your _mama_, bit – ack!"

Sasuke used his free hand to pull out the rent satchel from the hidden pouch on his backpack. He raised a knee, laying the satchel open across it and with a deft flick of his wrist he had the needle and precious vial in his hand, letting the rest fall carelessly to the floor. A flicker of chakra had the old man's hologram deactivated. Sweat shone on the now pallid skin as his eyes fixed obsessively on the small bottle.

"Sasuke. What are you -?"

"You have five seconds to decide." Sasuke blanked out the idiot's wary tone as well as any emotion from his face as he flipped the bottle so that it landed neatly on the needle tip, breaching the seal. One-handed he drew the contents out and discarded the empty vial. "One, you take this in the arm…two, you take this in the eye…three, either way you die…four, you decide why…"

The old man smiled toothily, "I always said you'd make a fine Hunter, boy."

"…five, eye it is."

"Wait!" He cocked his head at the grip Naruto had on his arm. "Let me try. Please."

Inuzuka was muttering to his mutt about a bunch of loonies in the background. The Hunters were four minutes away.

He flexed his grip over the old man's throat, but pulled back the needle to a 'safe' distance of three centimetres. Naruto let out an exasperated sigh but let it be.

"Old man." The idiot cleared his throat. "Remember when me and Sasuke saved your scummy ass?"

The old man attempted to roll his eyes while simultaneously keeping his gaze on the needle point. It ended up looking rather ridiculous. "I fuckin' try not ta."

"Yeah, well, I'm calling the debt in now. Hunter's honour, right?" Sasuke forced the satisfaction at the pervert's scowl, down.

"I didn' call the damn Hunters if that's what your on about. Bitch-boy here mucked about one time too many in the fuckin' Database." Sasuke pushed the scowl down the way of the satisfaction. "You think they're stupid or something? Or that you're just that fuckin' _smart_."

"So you had nothing to do with their arrival through the window?" Naruto cut in before Sasuke could 'accidentally' let his hand slip.

"Nada." Sasuke narrowed his gaze.

"He's lying," Naruto growled, and Akamaru barked in agreement. Sasuke blinked at the sudden surge in chakra beside him. Naruto sniffed, and he caught in periphery the darkening of whisker marks. "I can smell the treachery all over you." Sasuke blinked again as he was suddenly shoved aside to Inuzuka, the needle now redundant in comparison to Naruto's wickedly clawed fingers. The old man somehow kept from collapsing under the force of killing intent directed at him. "So the question is; what did they promise you…or _**who**_."

Sasuke felt his emotionless mask crack completely with repulsion as the filthy old pervert's gaze flickered momentarily to him.

It was one moment too long.

"NO! It was the antidote! They had the antidote, they promised me –AHHH!"

Naruto lost it.

Sasuke's sharingan tracked the bloodspray's trajectory perfectly as Naruto tore off the arm reaching shakily for a concealed weapon.

"**There is no antidote."** Naruto growled into the shell-shocked face, fangs flashing. Akamaru whimpered and Inuzuka's nails dug into his shoulder in trepidation. **"Or you would have bought it."**

"It. It was Akatsuki." The old man slumped against the wall, only held up by the brutal grip on his collar. "I. I had to tell them." He slid down further and Naruto jerked him up again shaking him like a cat with a hapless rat.

"**Who the fuck are Akatsuki?"**

The old man somehow found his feet despite the blood loss. And grinned, the green hair streaked with dripping crimson like a demented holiday decoration. "Why don't you lemme have a go with your bitch while we wait to find out?"

Sasuke's focus flickered to the door, Fuck! _Stall tactics!_ so it took a moment to register that Naruto had torn out the old man's throat and was standing before him with slit-red eyes glaring just over his shoulder.

"Ah-hah. Ah-haha. Naruto, old buddy. Ah, what did I do?" Inuzuka's grip tightened painfully on his shoulder with his nerves. Sasuke took pity on him and prodded a nerve in his hand making it spasm so that Sasuke could shrug out from under it. He kept his gaze locked with Naruto's and his head still as Naruto reached out with a bloody, clawed hand and stroked his cheek.

"When I said wipe your hands before, idiot, I didn't mean on me." He commented dryly and Naruto huffed in amusement, his eyes closing. Behind him the dual tails of manifested chakra died down and the other changes reverted gradually until Naruto's eyes opened to show bright blue once more.

"Geez, guys. You think you could get any more obvious? Sakura's gonna have a field day with this. Heh heh."

"Shut up, Inuzuka/Mutt." Was the dual reply. Guess who said which.

* * *

Somewhere in Shadow Metropolis Sasuke was running for the nth time. They had met up with the Aburame and the woman, Kurenai after dive-bombing out of apartment's 1602's new 'window' courtesy of Sasuke's inner pyromaniac. A brief standoff with some presumed Akatsuki flunkies (Level 3s including that blue one he had noted before) prior to that had convinced Inuzuka to take the initial plunge, after which the fool had whooped excitedly in counterpoint to Akamaru's howling. (Sasuke hated dogs and dog-people in general.) The idiot meanwhile had grumbled about Sasuke's Spiderman tendencies but Sasuke had pretended not to understand the reference. 

He was more of a Venom-type, anyway.

Kurenai was apparently an illusion expert so had covered their escape like she had delayed the Hunters from coming up after them. She was now catching her second wind via some kind of energy enhancing pills to stop her from collapsing prematurely from exhaustion. Great. Loud Mouth Mutt-boy's teacher was a drug addict in addition to his other teammate being a useless girl who had to wait like some damsel-bait in distress for her 'knight in orange armour' (also known as the Idiot) to rescue her…plus Bug-boy Aburame, who he actually had nothing against personally, but who seemed to have a stupid grudge against Sasuke for trying to kill him and incapacitate his Muttmate…

What the hell was he doing with these people?

"Hey, sensei-lady. Where are we going, again?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as they turned up a sidestreet. The 'lady-sensei' sighed.

"Aw, man. Way to show your retention skills, dumbass."

"It's a valid question!"

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered. "Even I know her name by now." Naruto spluttered.

"I know her name! Believe it! I'm just being polite." Even Aburame's bugs snorted.

A quick scan behind them showed no hostiles but Sasuke had decided to never let up his guard again. Ever. And sleep with one eye open if that was actually possible…

It would probably be a good time to part ways now.

Right. Any minute now.

Any –

"We're here." Sasuke slowed to a halt in front of a non-descript metal door. A touch pad in glaring fuchsia was the only noteworthy eyesore. He calculated that they were at least forty stories up from their prior residence. He could not be entirely sure with the unevenness of construction in the mid-levels.

Kurenai pressed her hand against the keypad and Sasuke felt the finely controlled chakra burst that opened the door while creating a localised illusion to conceal their entrance. Interesting.

He took one last glance around the street as Naruto bounced obnoxiously (considering that he had been running with the rest of them he could at least do them the courtesy of pretending to be exhausted) through the opening without even a preliminary visual scan. Idiot. Still wondering what the hell he was doing, he entered after.

* * *

Thirteen floors up without an elevator and Sasuke was pleased to note that Naruto was now grumbling. 

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Now?"

"…No."

A flight with only Inuzuka's whining that Akamaru was getting heavy and a yelp, when the mini-mutt nipped the bigger mutt on the ear.

"Are we there now?" Kurenai looked half-catatonic, but her eyes appeared to be glowing with a manic light.

"No." Aburame said placidly, as he had somehow done for the last three dozen times. Sasuke felt his respect for the other go up a notch. It took a special type of person to put up with Naruto's waves of idiocy.

"Are we -?"

"We're here." Kurenai said pleasantly, and Sasuke made a note to stay away from her. Women were far more dangerous than their male counterparts because they tended to wait for their vengeance, executing it when the perpetrator least expected it. Sasuke liked to think he took after his mother, in that respect.

"Alright!" "Woo-hoo!" There was a moment of confusion as the idiot and the mutt tried to shove through a door that had not been opened yet. For an even briefer moment, Aburame and Sasuke shared a look of long-suffering, before remembering that they were strong silent types who disliked each other on circumstance and principle, respectively.

Kurenai's brittle smile looked ready to snap.

Sasuke stepped forward to press the buzzer.

It was almost worth it to see Naruto's face fault.

Then the door burst open and a screeching harpy of a female almost caused Sasuke to flash-fry her instinctively.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN NARUTO NAMIKAZE?! **CHA!** I THOUGHT YOU WERE _DEAD_ YOU STUPID LITTLE GNOME!" What? "AND YOU LEFT ME WITH SAI, _SAI,_ THAT-" Sasuke took a few steps back to shake out the ringing in his ears. The idiot eeped and ducked behind him causing the small girl with a loud voice to stomp after. "-how could you leave me to put up with that – THAT – _ARGH_! And Kakashi that – ARGH! –" Shit. And here he was hoping that she would run out of steam… "FOR _FOUR FUCKING MONTHS_, I'M GOING TO **KILL** YOU, _YOU_ – MMPH!" Sasuke stared incredulously as a blonde girl tackled the pink-haired one to the ground and they somehow ended up kissing each other. Well. More like biting really…and people thought he had problems?

Naruto started prodding him into the apparent mental people's home past the two girls and Sasuke forgot to protest. "Ah-hah. Hahaha, ah, Sakura, I can explain – thanks Ino – um, and yeah, I'll do that later, when you aren't – yeah."

Dazedly Sasuke did not even react as Kurenai shoved past to disappear into what was obviously a master bedroom before the door slammed shut behind her. Aburame dragged the drooling mutt by the hood after them to deposit on the couch parallel to them, despite the protests, and Sasuke finally remembered to do a scan of the room. Visually there were one empty couch, the other with a whining mutt duo on it, a scattering of knickknacks and other furniture…and a rather formidable-looking idiot box playing some awful soap opera-style programme which the idiot would most likely adore.

No-one but those already registered on his physical senses were revealed by the chakra scan.

"Oh, hey Sai – how's it going?"

Sasuke nearly ended up on the ceiling as a creepy boy appeared from behind the couch on the left holding what looked like a… a salami?

"Ah. Friend Naruto. I see you have found yourself a new boy-friend." Sasuke stared cross-eyed from the offered…meat…up to the bland smile, his mind curiously blank. "My name is Sai. It is a pleasure to meet you. I hope that we will have many more pleasurable days together." A strangled sounding noise escaped his throat as the strange…_person_…offered his free hand with the same bland manner in which he had dropped that most…illuminating, introduction.

"Oh my God, Sai. What the hell have you been smoking?!" Naruto burst out from behind him waving a chastising finger. Sasuke blinked at the back of the idiot's head. "What the hell have you people been doing? He's worse than before!"

"Well, duh. You were the only one who could ever get any sense out of him." Sasuke shifted so that he could keep at least one eye on the Creepy one while he could also track the Crazies with the corner of his other eye. Naruto helpfully hid behind him. Again.

"You!" The pink Crazy brandished a fist glowing with chakra to his sharingan. "I will deal with you when you aren't hiding behind Pretty Boy." Sasuke turned his glare on her. She smirked back. "It would be a shame to mess up some of the only eye candy we girls get so soon after getting it; at least you did something right, Namikaze."

Sasuke decided that he hated this girl…

"Oooh. Let's try and get Neji and him together. Then it would be even prettier!"

…and the blonde one too.

Tbc…

* * *

**Next time on Survivor: Sasuke style (aka ITB, Chapter 4: Blood Limits) – **

"Get the hell outta here, Inuzuka. I don't need a damn babysitter, so go catch some fleas or something."

The indignant yipping was cut off abruptly by Aburame's rolled up newspaper. Sasuke sometimes wondered about those two.

---

"Naruto. They'd have killed the old pervert for failure anyway. Slowly."

"Maybe…but it still doesn't make it right."

---

"Hi. I'm Tenten." Sasuke failed to give a fuck, running as he was from the hounds of GM hell. "My teammates are Neji-ji and Gai-sensei…And Lee."

There was a moment of shared pain. "You have my condolences." He finally said, so as not to be outdone on the talk-and-run-front."

---

* * *

**A/N**…and yes, there is a reason for all the flashbacks/faintings (not that Kishimoto bothers with one, but Meh, Whatever ;P. (Oh, and if this chapter feels kinda rushed it's because it is, so I may revise it at a later date. Then, again, maybe not. 

:D)


	5. Chapter 4i: Blood Limits, Introduction

**A/N:** I completely underestimated the _wonder_ that is Real Life -.-' …and the sheer WTFable amount of stuff I'm capable of doing when motivated…and yet, I only have this to offer OO' …for now.

**Chapter Summary:** in which Sasuke should have stayed in bed (preferably with Naruto 6.6).

**Chapter warnings:** violence, abuse…the usual.

**-Disclaim no jutsu-**

* * *

**Chapter 4, Part I: Blood Limits, Introduction**

**_Previously on ITB:_**

"_You!" The pink Crazy brandished a fist glowing with chakra to his sharingan. "I will deal with you when you aren't hiding behind Pretty Boy." Sasuke turned his glare on her. She smirked back. "It would be a shame to mess up some of the only eye candy we girls get so soon after getting it; at least you did something right, Namikaze."_

_Sasuke decided that he hated this girl…_

"_Oooh. Let's try and get Neji and him together. Then it would be even prettier!" _

…_and the blonde one too._

* * *

Sasuke took a moment to run through some breathing exercises, which had the dual purpose of calming him down while cutting down the preparation time for a fire technique...

"Sasuke?" Sasuke barely restrained his chakra pulse. Now was not the time. "Shit. You alright, bastard?" Of course. He'd been chased half the night by Hunters, after several near-death experiences during the other half, only to end up at the crack of dawn in the midst of a bunch of – of _imbeciles_ after being made homeless _again_ after weeks of trying to convince the Idiot-king of all that _they had to move __**now,**_ only to make an even bigger fool of himself and _drop his guard and follow said imbeciles_ and now Naruto was trying to _baby_ him and –

"**Naruto**, he's bleeding! Dammit, how much blood has he lost?! – get him on the couch _**now**_."

"Sasuke?!" He fought to keep his balance as Naruto grabbed him, scowling as his vision flickered in and out of focus. No. He could not afford to black out now or ever again. He let himself be dragged onto the nearest couch, half onto Naruto's lap, because he could not spare the energy for even a token protest.

"Ino, get the medkit. Kiba, get me some hot water. Shino, help Naruto keep him from killing me; he's barely conscious and running on instinct." Sasuke hissed as his right arm was restrained, fingers inadvertently, or perhaps purposefully, digging into where Naruto's claws had seemingly long ago dug into in their shared fright over the lightstorm, before the grip shifted so that his sleeve could be stripped away.

"Hm. It seems to only be a surface wound." Sasuke wholly agreed, so could the Aburame piss off and die, now? "Yet it bleeds strangely." The Pink One then leaned in and he snarled as his warning kick was stopped by a hit to the pressure point in his knee.

"Oh, fuck – I did that, but it wasn't like that when I checked it before, I swear." Naruto's hold threatened to cut off the circulation to his other arm as well as bruise his middle and side. He tried a headbutt but slumped and restrained as he was it only increased the pounding ache in his head as the back of it made contact with Naruto's collarbone. "What the hell happened?"

Pinkie's eyes were intent as she made a few seals that Sasuke committed to memory and moved her chakra-glowing hands over the wound in his arm. Hm. Naruto hadn't said that she was a medic…

"Chakra poisoning." Sasuke felt Naruto tense, wound as the idiot was about him. "It's keeping the gashes from healing properly, so I'll need to flush it out before I disinfect it," He blinked as she efficiently applied actions to words, a cool sensation washing over him, "which you should have already done by the way… stupid boys…" there was a bearable stinging as she used the equipment brought to her to clean and close the wound, "There. Now he just needs to have a blood-regeneration shot, and lots of rest." He scowled as she dared to tap him on the nose. "He's low on chakra as well, probably due to near-constant usage so his immune system lacked the energy or time to flush out the foreign chakra on its own thus complicating a relatively minor wound... Idiot." Naruto huffed and Sasuke almost resorted to biting him, but he was above such childish retaliation. He would get him back later, along with the Mutt and the Loonies and Aburame when they least expected it –

* * *

Sasuke blinked at the strange ceiling. With lingering lethargy and a familiar snore by his side it took a moment to realise that he was also in a strange bed.

Cautiously he sent out a chakra scan, followed by a visual one. All but one foreign presence was sleeping and with the answering 'friendly' pulse of chakra from the living room he finally recalled that yes, he was amongst 'friends' and no, he had not passed out, because _fucking __**Sai**__ had knocked him out!_

He promised himself that he would deal with that fucker just as soon as he dealt with this one.

"A word, Naruto. And cut the act, you can't fake-snore for shit." The idiot snorted and grumbled a few times as if just waking up and Sasuke suddenly wished to be back within the pleasant oblivion of sleep so that he could just avoid this altogether.

Sigh.

"Mm? Oh! Sasuke - You're awake! About time too, though you could have been more considerate," One look at Naruto's cheerful face killed his annoyance, resurrecting it as exasperation, "and waited until, um, what time is it anyway?"

Sasuke shrugged casually, belying the tension fouling the air about them.

"I mean, some people need their sleep you know and it kinda sucks when they don't 'cause they can get really annoyed and all and be all Grump and Hn – kinda like you really, so yeah – not wanting to be like you." His brows furrowed resulting in even more verbal vomit from his blond irritant. "Not that you need the sleep – except that you _do_, 'cause then maybe you wouldn't faint every other _day_ - and twice in one freakin' day ...damn it." A subdued, serious Naruto was even more irritating than a loud one.

Sasuke caught Naruto's shifting gaze, his tone forcibly neutral as he cut to the heart of the matter, "You would have to try harder than that to kill me…Idiot." He watched as Naruto stared back until the idiot's eyes began to water and he felt his own begin to twitch with renewed irritation. "What?"

"Damn it, Sasuke, if we hadn't come here; if it wasn't for Sakura, you _would_ be dead." Naruto rasped out. He forced himself to shrug. Naruto suddenly snatched at his arm and he scrambled back, cursing the damn bedsheets, which impeded his movement, and whoever had bundled him up in them. "_Don't you see?!" _Sasuke's eyes narrowed as his wrist was caught and Naruto howled into his face, shaking him. "It was **MY** claws that cut you, **MY** chakra that poisoned you, **I** ALMOST KILLED YOU! I-"

He struck Naruto mid-rant, fury fuelling the strike leaving the blond laid out dazedly. "Then why are you still here? In fact, why shouldn't I leave right now?" Angrily he straddled the other and took him by the collar, before hauling off and hitting him again. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Shit happens." He readied himself for a retaliatory strike but was disgusted when Naruto just stared at him blankly.

What the fuck was his problem?

He started as a hand crept hesitantly into view, eyeing it as it paused in midair before finding his cheek, stroking gently and – oh.

He tilted his chin up, letting the hand fall away to his shoulder, where it tightened briefly in acknowledgement of the unspoken.

'_Naruto. They'd have killed the old pervert for failure anyway. Slowly.' _

'_Maybe…but that still doesn't make it right.'_

It would take a major paradigm shift before Sasuke would allow himself to be convinced that staying was the sanest option and even longer before he would dare contemplate calling it 'safe', but then again, sanity was overrated.

With a deft twist and roll Sasuke was comfortably ensconced within the nest of blankets while a groaning Naruto was left to pick himself up from his assisted faceplant into the floor. "Ow. Wha' was that for?" Sasuke deigned to open an eye to take in the putout expression.

"You breathe too loudly," Sasuke wrinkled his nose, "you smell disgusting and you're an eyesore - need I go on?" He closed his eyes and nestled into the lingering warm spot as Naruto began ranting nonsensically at full volume, snorting once and shifting to face the other way to egg the other on.

By the time Inuzuka woke up to join in on the howling, Sasuke was fast asleep.

* * *

"Naruto. Explain to me why we are constantly surrounded by freaks." Sasuke enquired politely as the Mutt came running out of what presumably was the bathroom with a swarm of insects in hot pursuit as he dived out of the open window. Carefully, he side-stepped Sai and Akamaru, who were in the way of breakfast, sprawled as they were across the floor behind the couch engrossed in what looked to be an art project of which the mini-Mutt seemed to be the critic…

"…I ask myself that all the time, bastard." Naruto replied absently. Sasuke continued on as the idiot squatted to join in on the 'action'. His casual glance around confirmed his initial assessment; hall connecting to the main room which was ventilated by Plexiglas windows, at least one bathroom, two closed doors plus the one he had exited equals three sleeping areas with the couches in reserve, so assuming the women shared the largest seeming one and that the other room was approximately the size of 'theirs' that meant a potential rooming capacity of seven at least as a 'Neji' and 'Kakashi' had been mentioned in absentia.

His eyes narrowed as he paused at the entrance to the kitchen, taking in the duo bickering over whose turn it was to cook. Keh. The Crazies stopped their banter as he entered the room, the Blonde blowing him a kiss as Pinkie rolled her eyes, nudging her aside on the way to the refrigerator and throwing a 'greeting' of her own.

"Good afternoon, Pretty-boy, lost your boyfriend?" Sasuke reassessed his label of her to Annoying but decided to stick with Pinkie for brevity's sake. "Sorry, I'm already taken, but I could refer you to a specialist for that stick up your backside." He offered a brittle smirk in response to hers as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Hm. Girlfriend not giving you any?" He caught the tossed water bottle and checked the seal.

"Why? Wanna watch?" He calmly removed the blonde's infringement of his personal space, though part of him wanted to see what would happen if he broke her arm, he had yet to see her display any particular skill so that made her an unknown, thus to be treated with caution. That and he could not be bothered with the fallout right now.

"It's rude to answer a question with another. Though I guess I really can't blame you…" So he settled with antagonising her instead, his gaze deliberately skimming over her and settling on her hair momentarily, before dismissing her by turning his attention to his water. Hm. Not bad.

Pinkie laughed, "I hate to say it, but Pretty-boy has a brain after all, if he can see past the _excessive_ makeup to the **Pig** within." Sasuke tuned out after the first few volleys of insults, munching on an appropriated apple as he went through his mental to-do list.

"Ladies, no need to fight, there be enough Kiba to go around. Heh hee-Eep!"

He nodded to Kurenai absently, which was returned sleepily, as she tugged the ruff of the Mutt's ever-present hoodie to walk him to the opposite end of the table, "**Sit**. Good boy." She then proceeded to pour herself a mug of coffee, toss it back like water, poured another, then walked out as casually as she had come in. Sasuke made a note to avoid her in the mornings; caffeine addicts were unpredictable therefore dangerous when roused before their first cup.

"Hey – didn't you jump outta the window?" Sasuke slowly turned his gaze to Naruto who stood in the doorway with a stupid look on his face…and raised an eyebrow. "Well, he _did_ and – oh, yeah. Chakra."

"Oh. My. GOD,"

"_They're __**communicating**__ without words!" _

"**KYAA**!" "**SO** _**CUTE**_!"

* * *

Sometime later Sasuke found himself dragged back into the main area from his brief jaunt out of the window. No, he was not suicidal; he had been finding the easiest way down for future reference. Besides, if the Mutt could do so, returning, unfortunately, intact, then surely he could do so too.

"Bastard." Sasuke ignored the deathgrip Naruto had on his left arm (sans claws) as he made that sterling non-sequester. "_Bastard_." Naruto elaborated, and Sasuke felt his eye twitch and his headache renew. "Basta-"

"Moving on to our agenda for today." Kurenai inserted abruptly. Sasuke observed her eye develop a matching twitch as she remained standing ramrod straight with her hands on her hips.

The bathrobe almost ruined the effect.

Almost.

"As the officer-in-charge I assigned various tasks for all members of the group to complete, which have been handled admirably overall. However, before I introduce this month's task list there remains a crucial deficiency, to be resolved; Sakura – the state of our finances, please." Kurenai gave up the floor to said female as she somehow managed to squirm out from her seating between the Blonde irritant and Sasuke himself, who had been forced unceremoniously into that uncomfortable position when the abnormally strong girl had used her abnormally large forehead to headbutt him into temporary submission.

He took the opportunity to shift a bit, only to catch the Blonde Crazy's suggestive look thus deciding better the blond he knew and kept his distance from the other Crazy.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." Sasuke found himself sharing a _look_ with Naruto before blaming the recent blood loss and near-concussion for his out of character-ness. "We currently have enough credit in our primary account for the next fortnight's rent alone, so must suspend our TV license for that period." There was a brief outcry from the resident Idiots, silenced by various elbows and kicks. "Sai," there was a brief pause as Sai's arm appeared from under the table to wave a paintbrush in acknowledgement, and Sasuke congratulated himself on being one of the only people who did not react overtly, unlike the Mutt who yelped, "has managed to contribute to our dwindling funds by selling some of his doujin on eBay…so thank-you Sai." Sasuke smirked at the expression on her face when Sai 'thanked' her in turn. "Kiba, on the other hand, has not only managed to waste his part of the weekly food budget on non-essentials such as dog shampoo," there was an aborted attempt at protesting that this _was_ essential, when an offended Akamaru bit the Mutt in vengeance, "and proceeded to squander everyone else's on _prime __**beef**__ steaks_." Sasuke allowed the temporary silence to wash over him.

"Kiba. We will talk later. Again." The Mutt's excuse died unvoiced under Kurenai's unamused gaze and Sasuke wondered idly whether he could replicate that or if it was characteristic to females only...

"…So you guys are broke?" Naruto ventured, for once, managing to sum up without excessive verbosity.

"In short, yes," Sasuke was pleased to see Sakura look peeved that her elaborate speech had been made unnecessary, "though we could always reroute the 'miscellaneous' funds to cover the discrepancies, auction off non-essentials, and apologies sensei, but perhaps we should reconsider the idea about finding work -perhaps in the upper-mid-levels?" …and attempted to make up for it with another.

"Or we could just have Sasuke st– omph!" Sasuke casually slid his arm free of Naruto's forcibly relaxed grip. Sometimes the best weapon was the unexpected one; unless someone expected that too, of course.

"Not that I care if you all die of starvation," Sasuke directed his gaze to all but Kurenai in turn as he subtly stretched his numb arm to get some circulation back in it, "but I can't help but remark upon the utter stupidity of your 'idea'." His visual sweep ended upon narrowed green eyes.

"Really. And what do you, who care nothing about us, suggest that we do?" Sasuke's gaze narrowed in turn and he found himself standing inches from her mocking brow with a blade to her throat.

"I suggest that you not let your guard down for one." He slipped aside from Naruto's grab, an ear on Aburame's bugs and the Mutt, with his chakra sense singing with anticipation of battle.

"What the _hell_, Sasuke! _Are you_ _**mad**_?!"

"Saner than I've been for months." Sasuke inclined his head pleasantly at the window. "And I want an explanation." Naruto spluttered. "No more pleasantries; no more bullshit; just cold hard facts."

Sharingan caught the seals as she started them – a Yamanaka then - and the quick hand movement that Sakura made to stay her.

"Why the fuck should we tell _you_ anything?!"

"Kiba. **Enough**."

"But who the fuck does he think he is anyway? He doesn't even belong here! HE'S A FILTHY TRAITOR TO KONOHA AND DESERVES TO –"

"**To what."**

Sasuke stared as Naruto's chakra started to boil manifestly.

Inuzuka shook off Aburame's staying hand, showing fangs of his own, _"To fuck the hell off and __**die**__."_

Naruto was crossing the space in-between near-instantaneously and in that instant several things happened near-simultaneously –

_Kurenai's illusion sprung to life momentarily confusing reality even to Sasuke's eyes but melting away before Naruto's outpouring of chakra - even as Yamanaka finished her seals a trail of life force speeding out of her collapsing form into Inuzuka's usurping the Mutt's own before he could spring forward, causing his body to begin to reverse the momentum of its charge away from a sweeping claw of chakra but it wasn't enough, not early enough - then Akamaru somehow tugged him the rest of the way back and out of the way with a surge of chakra as Aburame's insects swarmed forth, filling with chakra until they expired with the excess as Aburame himself stood between them and Sai's paint came to life swirling around chakra and limbs alike tugging Naruto back until the intensity of the energy melted them off - and then Sakura was there with her fist glowing with some kind of chakra – no, a temporary seal – and Sasuke was moving through the illusion on instinct, shattering the sense of distortion completely, his arm jarring against the girl's unnatural strength but shifting it just enough to deflect it, as the elbow of his other arm found the side of Naruto's head despite the sensation of burning -_

which stopped instantly upon contact. Breathing slowly as his sharingan flickered to a halt he noted the many stares upon him and dismissed them for Naruto's alone.

His eyes were blue.

"He knew you were bleeding to death." Sasuke raised a brow. "Kiba. He could smell it, can smell out anything, but he said nothing." Sasuke shrugged. "And he ate all the ramen." Sasuke began to nod but paused as he ran that through his head again.

"Idiot." The tension in the room settled to a dull roar as Sasuke casually stepped over Naruto's prone form to 'his' space on the couch. Yamanaka seemed content to stay in her 'borrowed' body for now. Sasuke endeavoured to ignore the jarring visual image of the Mutt's body winking flirtatiously at him. Akamaru appeared unbothered, settling in to take advantage of the petting opportunity. Aburame shifted near-imperceptibly away from the girl/boy, pressing up his ever-present shades and decidedly not-looking at her/him.

"Where do you want me to start?" Sakura continued, as if she had not just been caught in the midst of an argument turned potentially lethal attack or was all-too used to it. Sasuke gave her a grudging notch of esteem to go with the notch for her apparent medical skills and strength.

Sasuke caught the glance between Sakura and Naruto, the latter's gaze finally returning to him, "The beginning."

* * *

"…so your father sent us on that mission because the political situation was such that his opponents were becoming more aggressive in their attempts to displace him...he wanted you safe, Naruto." Sasuke could see the tension in Naruto's posture and imagined that his face would be even more telling.

"Then why – why the charade, why didn't he just tell me, or hell, Kakashi even, about it? Oh, right – he probably did, after all everyone else seems to know about this – this _political situation_, but not me, hahahah." He forced himself to relax; no need for them both to be worked up.

"Don't pull that crap with me, Naruto – I only found out about it later on, and believe me, I had _words_ with Kakashi-sensei about the proper allocation of information." Sasuke could imagine.

"Yeah. And what about the Konoha Hunter-nin? With the Master's symbol. How d' you explain _that_?" Naruto sounded absurdly pleased with himself.

Sasuke decided to butt in before someone else could deflate Naruto's bubble, "Orochimaru had already taken over as Grand Master at that point, right?" Sakura nodded, eyebrow arched as Naruto spluttered gratifyingly, "Logically then you could not return to Konohagakure, and everyone knows the lower levels of Emerald City are the best place to 'disappear'. The real question is: how are you keeping abreast of events back 'home'?" He suppressed the urge to stick his tongue out as Naruto turned from his seat on the floor to gape and point accusingly at him. Definitely a concussion, and now his right arm was hurting again, damn bitch…

"Maybe we should get him with Shikamaru instead," Ino-Kiba mused and Sasuke scowled. What was wrong with that girl, anyway?

"You." was Naruto _giggling?_ "You said _breast_."

…There were no words.

"ANYWAY." Sakura gave Ino-Kiba the go-ahead to kick the idiot. "Yes, obviously there has been no official news what with Konoha's 'non-existent' status under the UN, but thanks to the efforts of some Konoha residents we've managed to gather some crucial information such as the Academy's revamping to exclude all but the 'genetically advanced', which is a gross abuse of power and eerily reminiscent of the…." Sasuke stifled a yawn, as he kept half an ear out for potentially useful information. Sakura lost a point for failing to get to the point efficiently. During her previous sermon Naruto had had to take a bathroom break, Yamanaka had nodded off and Kurenai, Sai and Shino had stepped out to do whatever they had to do halfway through it. Sakura had gone on seemingly pointlessly about everything from the formation of team seven of which Sai was apparently an ANBU bodyguard (which explained a lot actually,) and Sakura was some kind of feminist (no surprise there) with Naruto as the (reluctant?) centrepiece and Kakashi Hatake as the genius (but lazy) warrior, to the various 'missions' all 'genin' were assigned, to finally, the fateful mission to 'Wave'. Most interesting was the information that ANBU had a semi-secret faction called ROOT, of which Sai had been a part until his 'defection', which had joined with Sound Enterprises, the current world leader in genetic modification, in order to bring about the coup. That liaison undoubtedly would be rocky if Danzo were anything like Orochimaru.

"Waitaminute – you haven't said anything about Hinata, or father, yet." Naruto sounded accusing. Sasuke rolled his head a bit to ease the soreness of sitting for hours on end.

"Obviously your father's a political prisoner likewise your _Hinata_ of the Hyuga clan." Sasuke concealed a grimace as he felt something pop. "If that's it then I'm going to bed." He would go for takeout after dark; his rest cycle was already screwed up so a little more would make no difference.

"Then we've gotta go save them!" Fuck. Maybe he should go now; now was a good enough time. "And why the hell haven't you guys done anything yet, anyway?!" He casually stretched, following the motion to his feet and slipping back between the couches to steal away. "And where are you going bastard?!" Sasuke ignored that; it was self-explanatory. "This is no time to sleep! Didn't you hear what she just said? We hafta go rescue Hinata - and father too!"

"ARGH, _you moron!"_ Sasuke blinked and ran the last few seconds through his head. No, he did not say that aloud; Sakura, then. "You think it's that easy?! **CHA – we'd have done it already! **But we needed to find _you_ first," Oh. Hell no, "and then one of the other Legendary Sannin because they're the only one who have a chance in hell of displacing Orochimaru and have the Council's support," No way, not again, "and _everyone knows_ that Emerald City's the best place to find people who don't want to be found -"

"No." Sasuke stepped back out of the way of the 'Shadow possession' technique. A Nara, meaning that the larger one coming through the front door was an Akimichi as he had already met the Yamanaka (who was thankfully now ragging into the Nara) and those three blood-limits were always placed together to form the triad of mind/soul/matter-manipulators. "You are not dragging me into your stupid scheme." His chakra scan revealed two more coming up the stairway. Naruto was no help whatsoever as he was babbling enthusiastically about how he knew exactly where to find granny Tsunade and the perverted hermit and how easy it would be to kick Orochimaru's scaly ass…

Why the fuck did he think the moron would be of any help anyway?

"Wha – Ino! Dammit it woman I feel violated. Girly thoughts - yuck!" Wonderful; the Mutt was 'back' too.

"Man, I'm starving, I haven't eaten in hours." Definitely an Akimichi.

"Well, you'll have to wait some more Chouji 'cause Kiba ate all the meat." Naruto gleefully tattled before Kiba jumped him and they engaged in a brawl punctuated by Akamaru's barking. He kept narrowed eyes on the 'play'-fight while taking a quick aura count; Kurenai was one of the ones coming up the stairs but the other was an unknown with Sai and Shino still unaccounted for –

Shit.

"**Wha**?! I was saving that – _**You**_!" Ino bounced up to help Nara hold Akimichi back.

"Shika! Damn it, help me here!"

"Hey, food-boy - lazy-ass - good to have you back!" Naruto interjected cheerfully from his headlock position. Tch. Sasuke carefully gauged the unknown's level; from the lack of excess power, the polarity and the compression, _he_ had a 'jounin' level of control over his chi, and considering that Nara and Akimichi had now returned, logically they would have left originally with their own sensei.

Another's sigh. "Get away from me, woman. Hello Naruto, Sakura, wish I could say the same. Guy I don't know but guess from the attitude is a pain – away from my room, I am not in the mood for this shit right now." Sasuke tilted his head in contemplation, noting the casual assessment Nara made of him. Hm. So that was 'Shika'maru. If Kurenai returned with the remainder of Yamanaka's team, then logically Shino and Sai must have gone on their own retrieval missions, possibly for 'Neji' and Kakashi...

Sasuke did not care to stick around to find out exactly why they were being recalled; especially as he could guess considering that they _were_ Naruto's comrades.

"Oi! That's our room, right, Sakura?" Sasuke gave a considering look towards the window. The roof should be comfortable enough, with the weather as mild as it was. Nice and peaceful…

"Well, I had to put you and sleeping beauty somewhere so –" Sasuke blinked as he decided upon the best course of action.

Now to wait for the right moment.

"Whaaaat?! So where are we supposed to sleep then?!"

"Tch. Whatever. Just go away and leave me and this couch in peace." Absently he leaned against the wall, nodding his agreement, while a tendril of will sent chakra towards the latch on the window. All too easily it clicked open; he would have to address that at some point.

The door opened again.

"Well, shit. It _is_ the kid. Never expected you to have survived on your own – or otherwise." His gaze honed in on the unlit cigarette, Naruto's loud comeback lost as he silently sent a flicker of heat towards it. Such a basic technique could be done by anyone.

As expected the 'jounin' sidestepped the small burst with a raised brow, and he let a smirk upturn his lip.

The heat touched the camouflaged heat-sensitive tag on the door he had set earlier…and set it off.

Draped on the couch, Nara saw it first.

"Down!" Nara's shadow darted forward to throw the reinforced table over the ducking Jounin as a reflective barrier for the blast.

The shrapnel of the smoke-bomb was negligible but was enough to distract everyone in the crucial moment in which Sasuke closed his eyes and set off the flashbomb.

Nara had notoriously quick minds and reflexes but Uchiha were quicker.

_Now_.

In a blur of movement Sasuke was across the room and out of the window…

Again.

* * *

Sasuke would never admit it if asked but he got a kick out of free-falling from multi-storey buildings. There was just something about watching the ground rush up to meet you with its potentially fatal embrace that triggered a rush of endorphins along with the adrenaline that had him biting back the urge to grin victoriously as he forced back the automatic activation of his sharingan. He twisted in midair to send a burst of chakra from his feet against an obtrusive awning to rebound off of it further out over the ever-approaching ground. Dark eyes found the place where he had landed earlier and bypassed it. Ten seconds until impact….five…four…

There.

His sharingan came to life despite his efforts to suppress it. Immediately the world became a matrix of possibilities. Recklessly he discarded the best option presented, becoming limp the moment his feet brushed the ground, letting the momentum roll him a considerable distance as he let the accumulated energy of his fall flow through and around him as a natural dispersion rather than trying to cushion the impact with his chakra instead. It was considerably more difficult to utilize the 'wild' energy like that but it was a good exercise for when he was low on chakra.

As soon as he had dispersed enough to prevent injury he came out of the latent energy-controlled roll with a burst of chakra that had him down the street before the few drunken bystanders could register what they had seen as 'real'.

Some distance away Sasuke slipped into a poorly protected property and 'borrowed' the owner's chakra signature, subsuming his own, and some clothes to cover his own with the owner none-the-wiser seeing as he was engrossed in online gaming.

He made a mental note to return the clothes later. They were grungy even to his admittedly lacking fashion sense, but they would serve as good enough camouflage for now.

A winding path later and he was strolling casually down one of the smaller commercial districts with the hood up. He noted with satisfaction that few gave him a second glance, and only then to turn their nose up at his choice of attire. He thought he may have had a chakra scan or two pass over him but none lingered. Coming to a junction he took the left walkway, which brought him past an internet café which he gave a considering look before bypassing it. Time enough for that later after he sorted out the more pressing concern.

He had several missed meals to make up for.

* * *

Several stalls and a fuller stomach later and Sasuke made his way deeper into the city proper. The occasional strobe light threatened to blind him as he passed by various clubs advertising their own 'special' brands of hedonism. Night here brought out the thrill seekers searching for their next fix in droves and soon he was swallowed up within the masses. His aura of apathy and dress deflected direct attention from all but the most desperate, but even those left him alone once treated to a burst of killing intent.

Finally, he emerged into the 'dead zone'; an abrupt transition from party atmosphere to non-descriptiveness in the space of a mere sidestreet. Here a scruffy-looking teen received no more attention than any other.

Sasuke kept his even pace, slouching slightly with his hands in his pockets. Occasionally scuffing his 'borrowed' shoes for effect. Little of his face was visible, but that was normal; eye-contact meant picking a fight at best and Sasuke was not in the mood for an encounter. Yet.

His internal clock noted the encroach of true night, though it wasn't noticeable this far down. The scattering of artificial lighting cast a strange sense of timelessness upon the figures slouching about. Even the more colourfully dressed seemed washed out. Tired. Cynical.

Absently he side-stepped a brawl between a man and what appeared to be his two girlfriends to take a closer look at the wall's graffiti. The women were winning and were now kicking the downed male.

Tch.

Left, down and two rights and he was leaning outside his old haunt. He carefully scanned the area with his eyes while his senses checked the interior. Empty.

It was for the best really, but a part of him had almost hoped –

Wait.

"I don't believe this." He tilted his head at the shadows. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" A grin flashed visibly. Sasuke sighed. "Go back to your _friends_, Naruto."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily bastard, you can believe that!" He slumped slightly as the moron took on his 'believe it' pose.

"Just tell me how the hell _you_ managed to follow _me_." Sasuke felt his head throb as Naruto _swaggered_ closer with his hands interlocked cockily behind his head as he snickered.

"Nope. You'll have to puzzle over this one for a loooong time." Blond eyebrows waggled tauntingly. "Or you could always ask nicely." Sasuke waved his finger in response. "Hah. You'll never guess it. And it'll drive you mad as you think about it over and over and over _and o_- ow!"

"Hm. So you're not a clone so that means that the 'Naruto' back there was a clone. You must have switched while in the bathroom. Loser."

Naruto's righteous anger was telling enough.

As they argued (more on the idiot's part – Sasuke limited himself to statements of truth such as 'loser') and brawled their way into the abandoned building, Sasuke felt more at home than he had in quite some time.

He chalked it up to the moron's residual life energy; Sakura obviously failed to remove all of it.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke." Having gotten a small fire going in lieu of central heating (someone had already stolen the parts of it) Sasuke was content with just staring into its depths and letting its subtle dance soothe him as Naruto devoured the pot noodle he had 'picked up'. "Bastard?" Naruto, of course, wanted to talk.

"What?" Sasuke suppressed the urge to sneeze at the excess of dust lingering in the air. Naruto coughed and he straightened out his expression.

"Why did Kiba call you a traitor?" He blinked before turning an incredulous look on the other. "Hey, I didn't even know there was a 'political situation' until now, so don't give me that – no-one ever tells me anything except Hinata – damn it."

Sasuke took in the tight set of the other's jaw and the distant look in usually focused blue eyes. He looked away.

"I used to work for Sound." Naruto's stare was almost palpable. "I left Konoha knowing that I was the last of my bloodline and robbed them of the value of my inheritance, subsequently allowing it to fall into the possession of the 'enemy'." Sasuke shrugged, a humourless smirk twisting his lips. "Then I betrayed Orochimaru before he could crack the secret of the sharingan and destroyed most of his 'data'." He met the stare emotionlessly. "Conservatively speaking, an eye alone is worth more than this entire city. Lucky for me, it begins to degenerate the moment it leaves the field of my life energy, so I am considerably more valuable alive than dead."

Naruto's eyes widened, _"'leave the field of your life energy'?"_

Sasuke smirked, "Kabuto was a very good medic so after my eye started to disintegrate after removal he managed to replace it with little lasting trauma."

Naruto looked decidedly ill.

Sasuke shrugged again, "Your Kakashi had a similar procedure I gather."

"Similar -? The HELL IT WAS AND YOU KNOW IT!" Why did the moron have to be so loud when he was right next to him? "I don't believe it! I knew you didn't like Konoha – so freakin' what? – but why the hell would you go to a scumbag like Orochimaru and GET YOUR FUCKING _EYE_ REMOVED?! I mean, are you _insane?! _Do you have a deathwish? And what the fuck do you mean 'robbed them of the value of' – you're not a comm – commo-coddi…thingy – _possession, __**you're a person, damn it!"**_

"Like you – right, Naruto?" Barely audible, but all the more dangerous for it. "Always looking for the best in _people_, in humanity – but it's a pipe dream for fools and dreamers." Barely restrained fury causing him to tremble as he stood up. "You can have it – I prefer to exist in the real world."

Without looking he caught the punch thrown, chakra stabilising his arm against the blow. With the control that had been drilled into him from a young age he gathered the force of the momentum and turned it back upon the sender.

He caught Naruto by the collar before he could hit the opposing wall face-first.

"I've killed, Naruto." There was a shaky exhale from Naruto as he noticed the wall-fixture he had been millimetres of being impaled upon. "Sometimes slowly," Sasuke drew the other closer and leaned up with a twinge of annoyance to softly add, "and unlike you, I feel no regret."

"Why." He blinked. "Why do you try so hard to disappear?" Sasuke stared at the shifting orange highlights in outrageously yellow hair. "Sasuke is Sasuke, ne? And yet you try to be everything but –" A pressure point then a choked gasp as Naruto crumpled into temporary unconsciousness.

Sasuke gently laid the idiot by the makeshift fire, before giving into the urge to dump the remains of the noodle on him.

"Stop looking for yourself in others." Was his parting shot, before he disappeared into the night with Naruto's rising wail, music to his ears.

Now for the tricky part.

* * *

Thankfully, Naruto was not so dumb as to send a deluge of chakra clones in pursuit of him. Luck probably had the idiot actually think to go to their old place instead of their prior one. Sasuke was too smart to try and salvage anything from the latter as undoubtedly the Hunters had an eye or three on the place…

He would have done the same.

Following this line of thought, it was possible therefore that any and all places visited after the start of their stay at their prior residence, were compromised.

Sasuke had been careful in his nightly explorations but he had to assume that the enemy were competent enough to have scoped them out before their attack for potential boltholes and such.

Sheer luck had had the idiot's crew burst in to the 'rescue', allowing them to escape as of yet, undetected.

Sasuke was, perhaps unfortunately, a realist and luck could only hold out so long (unless you were certain logic-defying blonds) and it seemed awfully convenient that the Konoha crew would appear when they did…

Unless they had also had prior warning.

Even he had to admit that they did not seem to be the kind capable of double-crossing one of their own. Their very naivety in attempting to restrain a rampaging Naruto earlier on, _in a practiced way_, would have convinced him alone, but he had also seen their reaction to a perceived threat of one of their own; _his_ threat to one of their own…_thrice_, and yet the only retaliation worthy of note was Aburame's, which immediately stopped upon Naruto's order.

Honestly, they behaved more like children than trained killers, yet the fact remained that they were soldiers, like Naruto, unlikely as _that_ seemed…and had likely killed, thus could be capable of treachery too.

Sasuke hated having to make decisions based on inadequate information so it was about time he returned to the 'source', so-to-speak.

He came out of his thoughts outside the internet café he had spied earlier on and after a moment's deliberation, shrugged and stepped in.

The proprietor barely looked up from his book as he walked in the near-deserted store. He took a side-station with the screen turned away with a deliberately guilty-sheepish look, the man soon turned his eye back to his own concern as did most others, who dismissed as him as a kid sneaking out to peruse porn; harmless enough.

He placed 'his' card on the reader which checked out okay, as it should, considering the exorbitant amount he had paid for it several months ago.

Once online he began to randomly visit dodgy websites to back up the persona he had taken on. A few minutes later with everyone having lost interest in his activity he pasted a suitably stupid look on his face – borrowed from the master of stupidity – and began hacking into the Database using the knowledge gleaned from the time using the Pervert's.

An hour later, Sasuke had committed to memory all the available details on the Hunters that had crashed into their apartment and chased them. He had debated searching for more information on Akatsuki, but common sense had won over curiosity. The old pervert had been right in one sense; he wasn't good enough to hack info of that high a level, and undoubtedly it was high-level because he hadn't even heard of them prior to that instance. Correspondingly there would also be monitoring of any attempts to find more on them…

And Sasuke had just about outstayed his welcome if the proprietor's glances were any indication. Casually he swapped his underhanded search-actions for the less-suspicious ones, changing the timing to correspond. He pretended to get lost in the images minimised onscreen as he deleted even the backup history of his searches, then worked on deleting the pornographic 'history' shoddily and overlaying some sort of study website over that, then deleting that to make way for some popular model's website, pretending that he had yet to notice the man now peering over his hunched shoulders with an amused if contemptuous aura.

"Kid." He pretended to start, taking the opportunity to confirm that he was the last one in the store. "You suck at pretence." He tried the idiot's 'innocent' look. "Really suck." An arm further invaded his personal space to undo the shoddy deletion. He did not have to feign tension at the proximity, though he was more concerned about the speed and stealth with which the other had come up behind him. If he had miscalculated…

"Shota? Why you _have_ been a naughty boy." A hand landed on his shoulder, keeping him seated. He forced himself to not react lethally, "So why don't you come out back…" forced his hands to relax to ready, "and I'll show you what you need to know." The murmur was barely audible even to his ears.

He relaxed minutely, but kept up the act for any observers as he let the man 'drag' his 'trembling' form to the apartment 'out back'.

Once there he dropped it completely. "Let me make this clear - I don't trust you, I don't like you and right now I'd like to kill you…" He shucked the hoody with a moue of distaste as he settled himself on the kitchen counter, which was conveniently close by potential weapons such as cutlery, "Hatake _Kakashi_."

The man just graced him with an annoying eye-smile as he somehow slouched in a hardback chair. "Ah, I see you've met up with the others then. Good, good." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Mockingly, the other did so too, before flipping open his book and continuing where he had left off.

For a time Hatake read and Sasuke rummaged in the cupboards for something to chew on.

Finally Sasuke threw a packet of nuts which the other automatically caught only to have the weakened seal burst open dumping the contents all over him.

For a while they stared at each other before Kakashi offered a strained eye-smile, which Sasuke returned in kind.

"You two seemed to be doing all right by yourselves." Sasuke tilted his head in query. "My primary concern is Naruto's safety and he has a habit of, ah, overextending himself. Especially when coming to people he cares about." Kakashi shrugged.

Sasuke ran the possibilities in his head again, and settled on, "How are you tracking the moron?" as the least-likely to be 'misinterpreted'.

Kakashi gave him a typically lazy look. Sasuke wondered briefly how the man would fare once he told Sakura that he had known Naruto was alive and where and who he was with for _months_ and had left her ignorant of this small detail. Some of his satisfaction must have shown in his body language because Kakashi suddenly straightened and looked serious, "he can't know about this Sasuke." Sasuke failed to be surprised that the man knew his real name. "At lot is at stake – more than you can imagine." Sasuke shrugged. "Yes, this does concern you too, and a secret more damaging than that of your blood."

Sasuke felt his sharingan awaken in response to the baring of the other's. A snarl twisted his lips at the evidence of this man's threat to his existence.

And possible threat to Naruto's.

He tried to shake that errant thought off, but it was more difficult than it usually was.

"Why did you save him Sasuke?" He began to shake his head, but started as he realised how far on the defensive he had been driven. "Why do you keep going back? Why fight for him? Fear for him? Care for –" _Sasuke felt more than heard the scream that escaped him, subsumed as he was in a haze of white noise. He was attacking to hurt, to kill the other, the world painfully clear about him as he spun and sliced, the other seeming to taunt him, egging him on, always a step or three ahead yet not attacking in turn, fuelling his rage, that terrible black rage he feared ever unleashing again –_

"I don't know!" He suddenly shouted, _Kakashi leaning back slightly with the force of his kick using the momentum to toss him, lazy eye closed to make way for the usage of the more offensive one -_ _not more alert because the other was always aware, too aware,_ "Why don't you tell me. Tell me why _me_ - why _him? Why the fuck can you use the sharingan?!"_

His rage clouded his judgement, causing him to waste energy on hopeless strikes with little fore planning so finally he overextended and Kakashi abruptly ended the mismatch by knocking him out.

* * *

"'_To be a true fighter one must be forged by the flames of adversity, yet maintain the coolness of inner serenity.' A wise saying wouldn't you agree, little Uchiha." Sasuke searched the darkness surrounding him with all available senses._

_Nothing._

"_There are three disciplines over which the learner must master: first, taijutsu - the physical arts." The strike was too fast to react to even had he had more warning. As it was he managed to turn his body into the fall so that he only bruised upon impact, his chest aching from lack of oxygen and the blow itself. "All matter in motion equates energy…far more interesting than objects stilled." The last appeared to have been hissed over the shell of his ear, jarring him worse than the impact had._

_He was moving before he could comprehend the foolishness of such a desperate act._

"_Genjutsu." He felt himself sinking into the floor and desperately tried to negate the illusion with his imperfect sharingan and when that failed, attempted a higher level dispel than 'kai' only to have the sensation of being helpless increase to a crescendo echoing in his mind. "The mind arts." He took a breath before he was submerged completely but the murk seemed to press into his very pores, compressing him on all sides, forcing the air from his lungs moment by moment. His body betrayed him by trying to struggle, his heart beating a staccato matching the pounding in his head. _

_Not real…_

_But if he believed in it he could die anyway._

_He dug his nails into his palms in an attempt to ground himself to the sensation but it seemed all-too distant. _

_Not real. _

_Sasuke turned his senses inwards._

_Nothing. His chakra seemed to have been erased from existence, but that was logically impossible; no living thing could be without energy._

_Maybe he was already dead then?_

_No. Focus. Sensation could be induced, forged. Illusion could take over the senses, but somewhere, somehow the mind would still recognise the truth. _

…_What was truth? _

_Sasuke could feel his heart slowing as it lost…something. _

_Energy? Momentum?_

_Oxygen. Truth – living things needed oxygen to survive due to some bizarre evolutionary measure. And fire was fuelled by oxygen which was 'burnt' in the cells of the body to create the energy needed to survive, which was carried by the red blood cells –_

_He bit down on his lip until it bleed and the pain washed over him clearing the illusion away enough for him to gasp in a cleansing breath and follow through on the rising wave of chakra by releasing it in a retaliatory fire strike._

_It missed but he was pleased to note that he could now see through the infinite darkness genjutsu enough to at least track Orochimaru's return strike._

"_Ninjutsu – the third art, takes elements of the first two and combines them to…exceptional effect." This time he was prepared for the invasion of his comfort zone, stilling even his expression under the unsettling regard. "The power of the mind may supersede that of the body's own strength, or vice versa but without the ability to execute an act, potential is wasted._

"_Kabuto shall oversee your training for now. Come to me when you are prepared."_

_Sitting in the silence of his sleep-cell he understood that it was not enough to rely on his knowledge and perceptions of the world about him, because those could be mistaken or fooled. He was in the proverbial belly of the beast and his survival, as ever it seemed, depended upon his usefulness, much as he hated it. In the end it would come down to power and will the former of which he was currently lacking._

_- --- _

"_Hmph. Well that was disappointing." Sasuke tried to summon chakra to his bidding but he felt the burning in his system and let it fade lest he burn himself out completely. "What will Master Orochimaru say when he sees the state of his 'prized' possession." Slowly he turned his senses fully outwards and cocked his aching head at Kabuto._

"_Scared?" He forced a smile knowing that it annoyed the other to see him mimic his façade. "Or jealous."_

_He let his own mask come to the fore as the other leaned down close enough that he could distinguish between the darkness of his eyes and the black of his pupils. "Little boys should be seen…" He maintained the uncaring expression as the other brushed a deceptively gentle finger over his pulse point, "…and not heard." _

"_Um, Lord Orochimaru wishes to see the Uchiha now." He let out a steady exhale as Kabuto straightened to turn his gaze on the unfortunate messenger whose heart he could sense thundering from across the training hall. "Uh – h – he says to come as he is." Sasuke blinked and kept the trepidation back by focusing on getting across the room without collapsing._

_The unknown lackey twitched nervously as he bowed out to Kabuto and Sasuke let himself relax minutely as he followed the other._

_Somehow the guy took this as an invitation to get chatty._

"_So, uh. You got a name? I mean, everyone just calls you 'the Uchiha' like some kind of title or something, but you must have a name right, 'cause everyone's got a name – mine's Aoba by the way, nice to meetcha," Sasuke blinked, nonplussed, "and, yeah, I'm not exactly high on the food chain around here – not like you and that Kabuto guy - man is that guy scary especially when he goes all bug-eyed-exterminator-thing – but yeah, I'm working on it – the food chain, not the bug-eye thing – you've gotta start somewhere, right? Guess I'm just starting lower than most, which can get a bit embarrassing in the commons sometimes, 'cause everyone's like 'man, whatcha doing all this time – a runner at your age?!' and I'm like –"_

"_Sasuke." _

"_- and – huh?"_

_Well. Ignoring him had not seemed to work as a deterrent. "My name…Is Sasuke Uchiha."_

"_Wow. Like the Legendary Ninja in that old tale? That's really cool. Man I wish I had a name like that but all I got is this crummy one, like 'Aoba' sounds like 'Amoeba', damn it, I'm named after a freakin' organism which doesn't even get -" _

_He felt a twinge of curiosity despite himself. _

"_What ninja?"_

"_-exually reprodu- huh? You know, like ninja-FWOOSH __**KYAA**__!-ninja?" Sasuke wondered why he had even bothered… "Yeah? Well it kind of goes like this – the ninja used to inhabit the Continent, right? And they were people born with superpowers who could change the world around them with their innate abilities which they had to train in secret villages to master – kind of like how the Specials and some Hunters are trained, but different 'cause the ninjas were naturally that way while guys like us have been artificially altered by biotech or those with the ability to alter others' biochemistry." Sasuke blinked. "Anyhow, this guy, Sasuke – the Legendary one – was around during the Meiji era according to mythology then after the wars he disappeared off into the mountains to become some kind of spiritualist – or is that find a spiritualist? I forget-" Sasuke wondered how the hell this guy managed to survive so long… "And anyway, story goes that never finds enlightenment so says, 'sod that' and made a pact with demons instead – or is it summons? – something, anyway, from another dimension, and made the Continent part of the other world in return for the power to change matter itself…and had lots of ninja babies with the demon king and passed the power onto them. The end!" _

_For a time Sasuke and Aoba walked in semi-comfortable silence._

"_You made that up."_

"_Nuh-uh. I swear on my honour as a ninja that is exactly how it happened – at least in the story…probably."_

"_You're not a ninja, and that's the stupidest story ever."_

"_Hey, kids like stories!"_

"_I'm eight, not an idiot. Unlike you."_

"_Wah! Why is everyone so mean to me? All I wanted was to have a nice boring, high-paid job where I could sit around and laugh evilly at the people below with their equally boring but less well-paid lives and eventually change my name to Clark Kent or something -" _

"_What?"_

"_Unholy ignorance! It burns, my poor boy, how you have been deprived – damn, we're almost there, I think." Sasuke was startled to realize just how much he had lowered his guard in a sickeningly short space of time._

_It was unforgivable._

_They turned into the corridor which Sasuke knew all too well as leading to Orochimaru's private chambers._

_Wait…why would a lackey of Aoba's admittedly low-level be sent to retrieve him or even know where to find Orochimaru in the first place?_

"_Do come in."_

_It was over before he could react._

_Snakes modified to obey their chosen Master struck from the shadows to latch onto various body parts, coiling back rapidly while still being connected. Blood splattered over his left side as Aoba was literally torn apart before he could even scream._

_In a kind of shellshock he kept moving, even as he caught in periphery where the head landed with a sickening thud. The double doors had opened with nary a whisper and he passed through those too, out of rote. He came to a halt before the snakes' master. His heart stuttering pitifully as one coiled its way up his comparatively small frame. Orochimaru smiled as the weight forced him to bow. His eyes felt like they were burning – sharingan? Surely not with his diminished chakra – and he bit his lip so as not to scream as the snake bit into his throat where Kabuto had touched him. His legs buckled and he tried to remain upright but it was too much and his last view was of the snake Master's gaze burning into him, judging and assessing and possessing him and –_

"_Pray that you've taken in your lesson, for I despise wasted resources…my Sasuke."_

_His last thought was surprisingly contradictory._

_Understood…_Master_, and yet…_

_No. I am yet my own._

* * *

Somewhere in the space between shadow and wakefulness Sasuke decided that if nothing else, life would be more interesting with the idiot in it.

Upon waking he translated that to mean that it would give him the opportunity to enact revenge on Orochimaru; after all the idiot somehow managed to get him into worse situations without even trying, and Sasuke could think of no worse place to be than back in Sound.

Undoubtedly Orochimaru would be holding his 'political prisoners' there, because money really did make for easy greasing of legalities and Sound Enterprises was virtually a Superpower of its own with its own country-base in the former Rice capital of the world. It would be just like Orochimaru to hide in plain view his 'trophies', with the dual benefit of being able to experiment on his new playthings at leisure in a zone secure to all but the most daring escape, or break-in attempt.

Really, it would be foolish of him not to take advantage of the fact that they shared a common goal in…_displacing_, Orochimaru.

He opened his eyes.

"Ah, good to see you awake, Sasuke (thought for a while I'd have to use _that_ technique) – Sasuke, this is Haku…Haku, Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

…and cut!

Next part up asap (I suck at timekeeping/blah so in theory no timekeeping should mean no suckiness…) Anyhow, planning meant shit in the end, 'cause I ended up shifting things around to better the flow – so how'd it go?

Good? Bad? Ugly? -subliminalmessage_youwillreviewme_subliminalmessage-


	6. Blood Limits: Interlude

**AN**: Yes this is well overdue, which I'm rather mortified about but it's hopefully going to get back on track once I stabilise my internet access (have been moving, working, and generally getting ready for uni – which is at Winchester, woot!) Thanks to all those who've reviewed and followed this tale and who hopefully still are (I shall have to do laps around Konoha on my hands in apology for the wait…or not... though I do have the orange legwarmers for it, so…yeah -.-)

Sakura gets her say here because I cut her short last time and this may just clarify _some_ of the questions asked…and create some more. ;D Team 7 bonding ahoy so enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4, Blood Limits: Interlude**

_**Konohagakure's Academy – Graduation Day**_

"…team 7, Naruto Namikaze, Sakura Haruno…and Sai."

"_WHA?!"_ "NOOOO!" "Yes."

Everyone took a moment to stare at the pale boy wearing a black belly-top, who waved back from the corner, oblivious to the general confusion.

Naruto voiced what everyone was thinking in his usual blunt manner, "Who the hell is _that_ anyway?"

Iruka-sensei sighed, "I'll explain after class. Now get off the table, Naruto - Sakura, put that kunai away! Next, team 8…"

* * *

"This is annoying." Sakura twitched, cracking her knuckles which Naruto eyed before scooting a couple of desks away. "I mean, our new sensei's late and probably has the same kind of lacklustre attitude towards everything else in life - you don't like me – the feeling's mutual I assure you – and now I have to deal with _that_," she pointed at the benevolently smiling Sai, "because _you_ can't go anywhere without a babysitter to save your pampered ass – _how the hell am I supposed to get stronger, dammit?!"_

Naruto harrumphed, "You think I _want_ to be watched 24/7? I didn't choose to be the Grand Master's son and have everyone and their grandmother after me to be something I'm not. You have no idea what it's like to be different."

Sakura snorted, "Please. You love the attention. You're probably planning on pranking our sensei first chance you get." She narrowed her gaze on the other's innocently widened eyes. "That's not going to work on me Namikaze. I'm not one of your fangirls."

"See!" She raised a brow. "That's exactly what I mean – you don't see me at all! You all have precon- preconcen – precen-"

"Preconceptions." She wearily aided.

"Yeah, that – about who or what I am. If I do well, it's 'cause of my father – of course I'd do well, and if I don't, it's 'cause of my father again, 'cause I'm trying to be rebellious or I'm a disappointment or whatever, I'm never just me, never just _Naruto_ –"

"Oh, spare me," Sakura cut in, "I dislike you because you're an irritating loudmouth who hit on me for three months straight despite my attempts to get you to leave me alone _nicely_," she ignored the grumbled 'shyeah right', "and Ino, _Ino_, _damn you! _had to kick your ass before you got a clue that I was not interested and never would be. I could care less about whom your father is, Naruto _Uzumaki_, which is the poorest excuse for a pseudonym ever as you could have at least changed your first name too... and the _only_ reason you have not got hauled in for your pranks more often is because you're _you! So I dislike you for you, you stupid annoying little_ – _**stupid**_ - _**ARGH!**_"

"Hm. Perhaps I should come back after your little, love confession?" The grey-haired man held his hands up defensively as Sakura turned her glare on him. "Uh...Meet me on the roof once you've calmed down." And 'poofed' away.

* * *

"Alright, boys and…girl. I'm your new sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Why don't you introduce yourselves, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams – yes, Naruto." Sigh.

"I know you! You're the Lazy one! Father sent you to spy on me didn't he?!"

"…The 'lazy' one?"

"Yeah – is it true that you're a pervert like the old hermit and you're always late and you have a weird growth on your face that you have to keep covered 'cause if not it'll mutate and you once babysat me but traded me for a limited edition Icha Icha so Father punted you out of the village with a Thousand Years of –"

"_**Na-ru-to**_." Sakura growled out, Inner Sakura having reared her ugly head.

"And - a-hahaha, believe it, um, my name's Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen in a cup but I love Ichiraku ramen best. I hate waiting the three minutes for ramen but I _really_ hate it when people have _preconceptions_ about me." Sakura shook her head in exasperation at the cheesy-looking thumbs up. "So I guess I don't really want to have them about people either 'cause that would be dumb." She concealed a faint smile behind a cough. "My hobbies are playing pranks on people like Ebisu-perv and the mean ol' Elders (who deserve it) and training with my friend Hinata when she doesn't get all weird on me. My dream is," He hesitated visibly before straightening, "is to honour my mother's sacrifice, and live out her dream to find my own _ninja_ way."

There was a moment of silence as several gazes met Naruto's own steady look.

"My name is Sai." Sakura started, having almost forgotten the quiet teen. "I like watching people and drawing them. I have no dream of my own, beyond that of fulfilling my mission, Naruto-san," a close-eyed-smile that Sakura could easily grow to hate, "and Sakura-san." She finally shrugged and tilted her head up in response to Hatake's eyebrow.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. I dislike a lot of things, especially annoying people. My dream is none of your business, but my ambition is to become the best kunoichi ever, to prove that blood does not take precedence over hard work and determination when it comes to talent. To prove that Tsunade-hime was not just a Natural fluke in this Gen Rich (1) society." She tossed her hair in challenge.

**CHA**! **Bring it on!**

"…Riiight. Now about tomorrow's test…"

* * *

"This sucks." Sakura was inclined to agree as yet another baby started to wail; this one tugging on her hair as she tried to feed it. "I wouldn't even give a level one this kind of shit and call it a mission."

Sai calmly burped a baby before placing it back in its cot, cooing. "Actually, Naruto-san, all genin, also known as 'Level Twos' in the new tongue, must go through a period of adjustment where they develop their teamwork by working through mundane tasks together which may or may not test their skills in other ways."

"Oh, yeah? Like what? " Naruto tried pulling a 'funny' face and Sakura felt her blood pressure rising as the baby cried even louder in response. She only stayed her fist to his face because, a, there were children present and b, Naruto looked on the verge of crying himself.

"Such as compensating for the shortcomings of one's teammate." A bland smile as Sai easily calmed the baby Naruto had agitated. Naruto now looked on the verge of homicide.

Boys. Though after just one day of day-care duty Sakura was beginning to doubt whether becoming a Special was worth all _this._

"Sakura-san. Perhaps you should step outside," slowly she turned her narrowed gaze towards that annoyingly false smile, "I believe that the children are also crying because of your ugly face."

Oh. _**Hell**_, **NO**.

"**CHA**, NARUTO LET ME GO, I'LL SHOW HIM AN UGLY FACE, THAT –BLEEPING- BLEEP BLEEEEP!"

"Calm down Saku - Hey, waitaminute, WHAT DO YOU MEAN _'ALSO CRYING'?!"_

"Precisely as I said – you also have an ugly face as well as incompetence, Naruto-san."

"**ARGH!" "I'LL KILL YOU!"**

* * *

"Absolutely, disgraceful! I have never heard of such behaviour in my entire life, you –"

Sakura felt a twinge of remorse and tried conveying that in a suitably 'shamed' look, but the majority of her inner self agreed with the mulish expression upon Naruto's face. So what if they had had a fight? No-one got hurt, per se, though she wished she were strong enough to have wiped that – that _smirk_ off of Sai's stupid face.

" – and the children! They could have been severely hurt, or _worse_ – and wipe that smirk off your face Sakura Haruno! This is no laughing matter!" She shrank a bit under Iruka-sensei's bug-eyed angry look.

"Mah, mah. Iruka-sensei. Don't you think I should be handling this? They are my students after all." Kakashi-sensei's nonchalant slouch would have been more reassuring if he had not also been scratching the back of his head, sheepishly.

"**You! **This is mostly your fault! What kind of incompetent leaves _his students _unsupervised while on a mission?!"

"You call that a mission?" Naruto muttered and Sakura wished she were close enough to kick him. "And I thought _Sai_ was supposed to watch me – oops, _us_."

"Naruto Namikaze!"

"**No**! I get it okay? I messed up! And so did Sakura!" Gee, thanks Naruto… "But Sai started it!" Damn straight. "So why isn't he here? Why's he got special treatment?! Why the hell do we have an assho-"

"**Naruto!"**

"- like that on our team anyway?! What nutcase decided that?!"

"Naruto." Sakura started and started to turn around. Uh-oh.

"Who would be _stupid_ enough to think I needed a _babysitter_ -" She tried to make an 'Abort! Abort!' movement with her hands, as Iruka-sensei mouthed wordlessly and Kakashi-sensei slapped his hand to his forehead protector.

" – as if I'm some stupid kid who needs _daddy_ to – oh. He-heh. Hi, dad."

"That 'stupid' 'nutcase' would be me. Son."

The Fourth was just like the iconic images of him scattered about Konoha. Somehow though, only the mountain-top sculpture came close to capturing his 'larger-than-life' aura. Currently he had a similarly stony expression.

Sakura found herself feeling more awkward than she had in a long time as Naruto locked into his 'mulish' expression, complete with narrowed eyes and sulky slouch.

"Yeah, well that makes sense then." Sakura felt like facefaulting as Naruto managed to compound his previous blunder. "I mean, Sai's still an asshole," insert Iruka's scandalized reaction here, "but he must be a useful one if _you_ choose him." A false smile that jarred worse on her nerves than Sai's. "More useful than me anyway..."

"I have spoken to both Sai and his superior." The Master cut in. "However Sai's behaviour is irrelevant as you are well aware of the potential ramifications of losing your temper, Naruto Namikaze," Sakura hedged a look towards the two sensei but received a subtle negative from Kakashi-sensei even as he started to usher both Iruka-sensei and her outside the Level 2 mission briefing room, "thus I am extremely disappointed with your behaviour. No! There is no excuse for attacking your teammate, and worse, during a prolonged mission that has now had to be reassigned plus reparations paid for the damages incurred. Thankfully no-one was hurt – _children_, Naruto! What the hell were you thinking?!" Sakura started and stared wide-eyed at the developing scene just as the door closed softly behind her and Iruka-sensei.

Naruto's voice was still audible if slightly muffled.

"_I wasn't, alright?! I wasn't thinking 'cause stupid Sai pisses me the hell off and I don't need a babysitter, damn it!_ _'cause everyone else already is and why the hell do I have to be so different huh?! I hate -" _

Then even that was abruptly cut off, as if by a wall of silence.

Sakura shifted a glance towards Iruka-sensei, observing the well-worn furrow between his eyebrows deepen as he paced. She worried her lip as she back leaned against the opposite wall and ran increasingly improbable outcomes through her head. Really, was what they had done _that_ bad? So much so that Naruto's father, the Grand Master no less, had to be called out? And Sakura had not exactly been blameless in this scenario…not that she wanted to be told off or anything, but it seemed slightly _unfair_ that Naruto was getting the brunt of the blame.

Maybe this was what Naruto had meant when he complained about being different.

Sakura exchanged a look with Iruka-sensei as he paused, then almost simultaneously they rushed forward to press their ears to the door. Sakura caught the subtle hands signs and wondered if Iruka-sensei had ever been a part of Konoha's Intelligence Network…

"_-oice! And who's at fault – is?"_ Sakura strained her ears to catch the elder Namikaze's words through the slight buzz of static. _"-haps __**that**__ is why –ou failed to -"_

"_Sensei th -"_ Sakura cursed Kakashi-sensei for perpetual bad timing and having such a murmuring voice, _"-trusted Naruto to – y – bility –ow."_

"Murmuring bastard," hissed Iruka-sensei and Sakura gawked at him until he reddened. "Er. Don't repeat that." He mumbled.

"_-dle – alloca – ent for – team." _

"_-ake sure you do and clean up -_" Huh. His voice was getting clearer…

Iruka yanked her away from the door and cancelled the eavesdropping technique just as the door opened. The Fourth ignored their hasty bows as he swiftly walked away. Sakura nearly had a heart attack when two ANBU Specials materialised from the wall at the end of the corridor to join him. One of them gave Iruka a chastising finger before falling into step behind the Master.

"Naruto! Are you alright?!" She snapped out of her daze in time to see Iruka-sensei fuss about the exiting genin.

Naruto looked absolutely horrible.

Her gaze turned questioningly upon Kakashi-sensei only to have the question die in favour of another, "_What the hell happened to your arm?!"_

Kakashi made a show out of 'noticing' the bloody appendage, "Ma, now how did that happen." His visible eye widened, "I should probably get this checked out. Thanks Sakura." She stared unimpressed at the production. Iruka-sensei muttered something derogatory-sounding.

"It's my fault." Naruto whispered. "I lost control again." It was only then that she noticed the blood staining his hands.

Perhaps she should have been more freaked out but the lost expression upon Naruto's face held her spellbound.

"No-one that matters blames you, Naruto." Kakashi nodded at Iruka-sensei before 'poofing' away. "Those that do, aren't worth it." She had never heard the strict man sound so gentle before. Awkwardly she started to leave.

"Sakura?" Blue eyes blinked at her hesitantly.

Oh, sod it. "I'll take it from here, sir. Sheesh, Naruto! Stop being a nuisance - you're getting blood all over Iruka-sensei." She grabbed his hand and began to tug him towards the nearest bathroom, valiantly ignoring the stickiness against her palm. Gross. Naruto actually remained quiet for all of three seconds.

"Bu–but! Aren't you even gonna ask what happened?" He literally dug his heels in to stop. She was relieved at the annoyance that bubbled up from within.

"Fine! Tell me why you look even worse than you usually do then, _after_ you clean yourself up." Sakura used their slight difference in height to full effect.

A sheepish grin, "Um, I don't think I can?"

"Then don't offer to you stupid – annoying - _**ARGH**_!"

* * *

"Mess duty." Sakura stated darkly. Kakashi-sensei nodded. "Is that…" She gestured in the bastard's direction, "_Sai_, going to be apart of this 'mess duty'?"

Naruto made a show out of 'whispering' an aside, "Yeah, 'cause he needs a good clearing out." Sakura smiled as she entertained the thought of shoving a scrub brush down Sai's throat.

"Behave you two." Sakura mimicked the 'who me?' look Naruto was now sporting. Kakashi glanced skyward. "Yes, Sai shall be pitching in. You'll be expected to do this alongside your other missions," Great, even less free time, "until I say you can stop."

"Right. Let's get to it then." She blinked at Naruto's returned cheer. She was beginning to wonder whether the boy was bi-polar…"The sooner we start the sooner we finish right." Complete confidence in his ridiculous 'hero' pose. Sakura smothered the grin with an effort. "And then you won't have an excuse not to train us!"

Kakashi managed to look offended, "I have perfectly valid reasons. I'm a busy man, you know."

"Cough. _Porn_. Cough."

Kakashi's eye curved happily, "As I said, valid."

* * *

"Oi, Forehead! Don't tell me they demoted you already?" Ino let out a low whistle. "Though I must say the kitchen slave look works better on you than it should." Sakura scowled as Ino pranced in like she owned the place, throwing an arm carelessly about her. "Can't say the same for bimbo-boy there though." She added quietly.

Sakura lost the scowl to a fit of laughter which Sai exacerbated by cocking his scrub-hatted head at them, and had to sit down until the giggles subsided, "Ah – oh, my – I've missed you 'Pig."

"And I've missed your overly big mouth, oops I meant forehead." Ino tweaked her headband back and smirked, "Seriously, though, where've you been, girl? I haven't heard from you in weeks."

Sakura slumped in the chair, aware that Sai was listening in from the oven-cooker and not caring, "Mess duty due to botched day-care duty plus equally blah so-called 'missions', which are meant to be supervised by our sensei but he's a complete dork who keeps disappearing on us…Oh, and trying to get Naruto to understand that private training does _not_ mean dating. Though I think he's just doing that to annoy me now. Jerk."

Ino seated herself with a moue of distaste, "Really? Since when do you entertain annoying blonds, excluding me of course."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the wink, "Since I found out that below the bluster, and the showing off and the wilful ignorance and the _sheer bloody-mindedness_," Ino snorted and Sakura waved her the finger, "there's actually a pretty sweet guy who just has a lot to live up to." She shrugged self-consciously as Ino peered at her. "No, I don't _like him_, like him. It's just... like having an annoying little brother, I guess."

She glared as Ino started to laugh, "Now, what?"

"Please." Ino gasped out, "As if you'd ever be interested in _him_." Sakura developed a tick in her forehead as the other continued to laugh.

"Is Pig-san alright?" Abruptly, Ino stopped laughing. Sakura redirected her irritation towards Sai.

"Excuse me, but I don't remember granting you permission to call me that, weirdo" Ino bit out and Sakura smiled smugly.

"I do not understand." Sai glanced between the two of them. "I used the proper honorific to denote our lack of relation."

Sakura was confused, "That's not what she was protesting to, I think, but you're not supposed to go around calling girls 'Pig' even with an honorific." Not that Ino was a proper girl anyway, but whatever.

"Yeah, only Sakura gets to call Ino that 'cause they're best friends." Naruto elaborated, giving her a start. He had finally returned from the loo and was regarding Sai with uncommon patience and civility.

Well, uncommon before the last couple of weeks.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the brat." Ino demanded; her eyebrows becoming almost non-existent.

"Who you calling a brat, psycho-prig." Sakura sighed as the two began to cuss each other out. As the joint-top rookies of their year they had a long-standing rivalry which Naruto had turned into a full-blown feud by trying to get too 'friendly' with Sakura, who Ino was extremely protective of due to their respective histories. (Though personally Sakura thought that they were more alike than they would ever admit to and their banter was just their Blond way of bonding.)

Sai just stood there, looking back and forth, and Sakura finally took pity on him. "Don't try to understand it Sai. Just clean."

* * *

"So explain to me why we're here again." Naruto demanded, "I mean I know the chuunin exams are coming up and all but I doubt that we'd be allowed to enter anyway, 'cause of the stupid entrance requirement that we actually go on a proper _C_ rank mission." Huh. Naruto was usually so woefully ignorant of his surroundings that it was a pleasant surprise to actually have some intelligent input from him. "This sucks!"

"Keep your voice down," Sakura murmured, tip-toeing to ease out an oversized book someone had obviously misplaced, "and I didn't ask for you to follow me so you can go 'play ninja' with the kids if you want." Walking down the stacks she pointedly ignored the annoying sound effect Naruto made.

"So whatcha looking for anyways?" Her nose wrinkled at his drawl and she waved the book at him in askance. "_Human Anatomy: from Mind to Matter_," Naruto mimed yawning at her, "Shyesh, you coulda at least gotten one with more _pictures_." He waggled his brows and she swatted him with the book.

It was a heavy book.

"Ow! You're worse than ba-chan I swear -"

"You two - out! This is a sacred hall of learning. I won't have you desecrating my precious books!" Naruto opened his mouth, most likely about to make a snide remark so Sakura thought fast and caught him in a headlock.

"I'm sooo sorry sensei." She smiled as sweetly as she could with Naruto gagging for breath and pin wheeling his arms, "but my," elbowed, "_friend_ and I are just really stressed over the upcoming chuunin exams and –"

"Namikaze-san! My apologies sir, I didn't recognise you." Her jaw flapped wordlessly as the librarian did a 180 into a simpering sycophant. "If you and your, ahem, _girlfriend_," his _what? _"would like I could arrange a private room for you to, ahem, _study_ in." It took a moment for the insinuation to register. Sakura flushed in humiliation and rising anger.

"Excuse me, _sir_," she let go of Naruto who caught his balance on her shoulder; she shook his warning hand off, "but who the _hell_ do you think you -?"

"Namikaze-san, if I may be so bold," disregarded so completely she started to tremble with fury, "this girl is far too _common _for one of your status, though she undoubtedly has her, ahem, _uses_ –"

Oh.

Hell.

**No**.

"_**CHA! **__LET ME GO NARUTO I'LL BLEEP-ing BLEEP BLEEEEP THE __**BLEEP**__!__**"**_

* * *

"Thanks Sai, if you hadn't been sneaking around after us...Well, I don't think I could have stopped her alone." Naruto said seriously.

No, the world was not ending, but Sakura was still too worked up to care either way. She was so sick of being stereotyped, of being judged. Coming to the Academy was supposed to change all that but it was still the same. She was a fool to believe that she could ever stop being that pathetic little girl, that she could actually be worth something, be –

"Shh, Sakura, it's okay to cry." She shook her head, clutching the book close, and hating that Sai was looking at her like some alien specimen to dissect. Hating that Naruto was seeing her like this. She was strong, she was smart, she was –

"Sometimes I'm not all there, you know." She let out a shaky laugh, which caught in her throat for too long, echoing, "I – My mum always said that I was a bit – odd. I – I wanted to st-study when I should have been doing my ch-chores and s-socialising an– and I –" Sakura choked back the whine, "was always reading until I hurt my eyes and had to get them f-fixed 'cause I wouldn't look _pretty_ with glasses on aangh," she tried to push Naruto away, self-consciously wiping at the fluids running down her face. She was such an embarrassment.

"I think you'd look real pretty with some glasses," Naruto grinned earnestly enough through the bruises, though his eyes were tight and worried, "whoever told you otherwise is stupider than I am."

Sakura forced a snort and ducked her head. "Y- you sure you an' Ino aren't related?"

Naruto put on a put out expression. "Baah. I'm much prettier than _she_ is." Sakura bit her lip to suppress a shrill giggle.

"That is untrue Naruto-san," Sai observed in his bland way, continuing despite Naruto's spluttering, "though your colouring is more vibrant, Ino-san's facial symmetry and slim physique are superior aesthetically. Perhaps if you lost some weight." He gave Naruto a considering look. The giggle broke through.

"What the hell?!" Naruto looked appalled. "Now you're qualified to weight-watch me? And stop staring at me like that! That's creepy!" Sakura laughed louder, tears of mirth streaming down her face. "And look what you did – you made Sakura cry again."

She elbowed him. "Ah-hahah – get off, a-hah – 'm not crying!" She said, before bursting into tears again, but this time let the hurt drain out without censor. She wished it were Ino there, but she was off on a _real_ mission and Sakura was never going to get stronger if she always ran to her…With some effort she managed to wind down from her hysteria into a comfortable state of exhaustion that left her feeling vaguely numb and oddly content. She began to take greater stock of her surroundings.

An airy, well-lit room, fairly high up in Konoha. Naruto had practically carried her there, after he and Sai had stopped her from pummelling the disgusting man. Sai had apparently been hidden in the shadowed arches of the ceiling and had jumped in the developing fray after Sakura, in the midst of fury-enhanced strength, had managed to break free from Naruto's grip. Together they had managed to get her away from the approaching security (books _were_ precious after all) bearing the bruises without complaint. Sakura felt slightly guilty but the marks on Naruto's face were already fading naturally and Sai was in the process of healing his own. Her curiosity overcame her guilt.

"How are you doing that?" Both boys looked at her, though Naruto's puzzlement was more obvious, she was beginning to be able to read into Sai's 'blankness'. "I want to know how to heal people." She confided, hoping that they would understand.

"Oh!" Naruto practically beamed at her, "You really are like 'ba-chan then." Humiliated and hurt – _stupid_ – she began to get up, pushing Naruto away. That insensitive idiot -

"Who is this 'ba-chan', Naruto-san? I was made aware that you have any other living relatives." Sai's question gave her pause if only for curiosity's sake.

Naruto shrugged, somewhat confused, "Oh, she's not related to me (I think) I just call her that to annoy her."

Sakura frowned, "So. Who is she?"

Naruto gave her a cheesy smile, "Well who else has scary strength, heals people, and is an old hag?" Sakura's eyes narrowed and Naruto laughed nervously, rubbing his still-bruised jaw, "Tsunade, of course."

Sakura almost fell over, "WHAT?! AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THIS BEFORE!"

Naruto made a warding gesture, "Sheesh, Sakura, and people say I'm loud. And I thought you knew since you're always going on about wanting to be like her (good job on _that_, by-the-way) and quoting books about her and well, I just thought you'd know since you seem to know everything _else_ 'bout her... seriously, I didn't even know about the whole 'medic-per-team' thing until you told me, and I lived with her and Shizu-nesan for a bit." He shrugged, obviously unaware of just what a Big Deal this really was.

Sakura started to mutter to herself, "Stupid, stupid! I've been lecturing when I should have been questioning," absently, she shook her head at Sai's querying look, "and I'm supposed to be smart! Anything _else_ you think we should know?" She stared accusingly at Naruto.

He scratched his blond head, "Um, the reason I ended up with ba-chan was 'cause she lost a bet with ero-sennin while the reason I ended up with ero-sennin was 'cause Kaka-sensei really _did_ trade me for a limited edition Icha Icha. Er, Kaka-sensei watches me 'cause Father's his old sensei…and I'm over at the Hyuga compound a lot 'cause Hinata's my best friend and her cousin's fun to mess with," Sakura rolled her eyes, "er, there's also the-thing-about-Kyuubi and Dad's sensei was ero-sennin and -"

"Hold it!" Her head was throbbing, "What thing about 'Kyuubi'? And who's 'ero-sennin'." Naruto started twiddling his thumbs and muttered something she could not catch. Sakura huffed, "Well?"

"I said 'I can't tell you'." He mumbled from under his breath. Sakura's ground her teeth together and forced her anger down.

Her gaze flickered to the bland smile shaping Sai's face before locking back onto Naruto's bowed head, "Does _he_ know?" Naruto nodded and shrunk slightly, pissing her off, "Oh, great. Thanks a lot Naruto. Let's not even pretend that I'm, say, _a part of this team_, and maybe I don't know, _deserve to know_ if there's something _wrong_ with my _team-mate_," he flinched and she did not allow herself to feel sympathy, "never mind that I didn't push you before," she had stayed quiet all these weeks with the hope that he would confide in her of his own volition; more the fool her, "and that I confided in you an- and," she was **not** crying, "_and why the hell am I even __**on**__ this team, when you don't tell me __**anything**__ and you don't even __**care**_ _and_ –"

"I _do care okay?! I care so fucking much I can't stand it! I can't stand everyone __**watching**__ me, but hardly anyone actually seeing me -"_ Red tinted her vision, swirling about Naruto like living gauze, "_And is this what you wanted to see? Is this what you wanted to know, __**are you happy now?!**__"_ Paint was suddenly swirling about Naruto adding to the surrealism as he snarled, rending the bindings with a wickedly curved claw, and a primal terror threatened to overcome her as his red-slit gaze turned full force on her, "**Look at me Sakura. **This is my _Kyuubi_." Tears of frustration evaporated upon touching the red mist of chakra and her terror faded just as abruptly. This was still Naruto; the same overly-emotional, obnoxiously loud yet generous boy. The boy who could have any number of friends but hung out with the misfits, the outcasts of Konoha and would skip school to run wild with Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji, who stood up for Hinata and was convinced that girls only liked him because of his status.

Her friend.

"You're an idiot, Naruto." Sakura watched with interest as the transformation gradually reverted, leaving a tentative grin upon his face, "And you're such a show-off! You could have just _told me_, but _no_, you had to go and have your little fit," she waved dismissively at the damage done to the stone floor around him, "honestly, you always have to do things the hard way don't you and scare Sai while you're at it."

"I am fine Sakura-san," Sai added unnecessarily, sarcasm obviously beyond him, "I am trained for such eventualities," Naruto mimed blerching, "and regardless, Kakashi-san would have stepped in if necessary."

"Hm, that is true." Sakura and Naruto shared a moment of fright as Kakashi-sensei came through the window with an amount of urgency equivalent to that of an ambling stroll, "Though I'm quite impressed as the amount of damage you've managed to cause in my absence," 'you're _always_ absent' muttered Naruto, "which warrants another couple of week's cleaning duty," '_nooooo_!' "in say, the library." An eye-grin that hinted at all sorts of creative retribution should they 'happen' to disappear, Kakashi-style.

"When do we start," Sakura said listlessly.

Kakashi smiled sincerely, "Right now."

* * *

Self-consciously, Sakura smoothed down her skirt (Ino had helped her pick it out though the rest of her 'advice' on how to find a Hyuga husband had been promptly ignored) and adjusted her shuriken holster.

"Don't move," Naruto muttered, "or they'll see us." She kicked at his shin out of habit. The compound's guards seemed to take no notice of them but Sakura knew they were, what with their 'all-seeing' eyes.

"Naruto-kun, I, I'm so glad that you could co – oh, excuse me S-Sakura-san and, um, Sai-san?" Sakura kept a straight face as the guards snapped to attention as the Hyuga heiress faltered in her rapid approach and began blushing, head bowed and fingers fidgeting.

Some things never changed.

"Greetings, Hinata-hime," Sakura and Naruto gawked in tandem as Sai stepped forward and bowed deeply, "I am honoured to be welcome in your beautiful home."

Okay, _now_ the world was ending.

"Hm. It is heartening that there are yet _some_ in this diminishing world that show the appropriate respect for their betters." Sakura fought to restrain her leftover gawking at the graceful boy who had just glided up behind Hinata like a bird of prey. His attitude left much to be desired but _damn_, he was pretty…

"_Please_ can I kick his arse Hinata-_hime._ Just a little?" Sakura shook her head in pity as Naruto suddenly threw himself at the poor girl's feet and began hugging her legs causing all Hyuga in the vicinity to freak out in their own stoic way.

Sai looked at her and she shook her head again.

Eventually they actually went in.

To say that the Hyuga household was beautiful would be misleading. The pathways were spotless, the tatami and screen doors in perfect order, everything orderly and in its place with little concession to frivolity and imperfection.

It was beautiful in the way frozen tundra would be; absolutely unforgiving.

Yet the garden was different.

Sakura was fascinated by the sudden change in texture and light. Here things felt softer, the faint twinkle of bells in the wind kept in time with the muted swish of the willow and there was a distinct lack of hard edges. Hinata seemed at home. In contrast to her earlier strained attempt at playing the role of the gracious lady she had loosened up dramatically and was now linking arms with Naruto and tugging him along as she chattered excitedly about her latest plant projects. Sakura tried to keep up with her babble but most of it went over her head, though Ino would know; strange that the two girls were not better acquainted, but then again Sakura had been just as guilty of overlooking the young heiress, having dismissed her as one of Naruto's hangers-on.

She really should have known not to judge by appearances.

Sakura turned her gaze on Sai, who had an expression (which was notable enough in itself) of wonder as he was tugged along good-naturedly by Naruto who 'refused to let him disappear only to pop up and give them all a heart attack again'. Sai's smile almost seemed genuine, though that could just be a trick of the light or Naruto's infectious cheer at work. Huh, someone was missing from this tally.

Sakura stopped to look back for the other Hyuga and blushed as he quirked an elegant brow at her, "Um, sorry, my name's Sakura." With an effort she made it sound less like a question, shoving her hand forward in greeting. She felt her cheeks flare brighter as he just stared in question at her outstretched hand.

"Neji." He finally said, just as she was contemplating whether she could bring her hand up fast enough to smack his stoic face. She waited but nothing else seemed forthcoming.

"Geez, you're worse than Sai!" Sakura blinked as Naruto said exactly what she was thinking, but dared to actually, um, noogie, Neji, in the process. "Lighten up, young Hyuga or your pretty face may get stuck like that." Naruto egged. Neji just poked Naruto at seeming random and he fell over twitching. With now-obvious irritation he tried to smooth back his hair and kicked the wailing Naruto as he felt the um, extent of the damage.

Sakura could no longer bite her lip to stop the laughter.

"Naruto-kun! Are you alright?" Hinata rushed over to see the downed boy, and Sakura laughed harder as she realised that he was mostly faking it, "Neji!"

Neji just crossed his arms and glared at nothing and everything, which with his Byakugan was actually possible, "Hn."

"You know what Naruto's like, brother, he was only being friendly." Hinata was cuddling the overgrown toddler. Sakura snorted as Naruto stuck his tongue out at Neji.

"Ah, so enthusiastic touching is part of friendship?" Sai asked. Neji's eyes widened alarmingly as he twitched and Naruto almost choked on his tongue. Hinata finally realised that Naruto was a, faking being hurt, and b, that she was cuddling him and c, what Sai had said.

She dropped Naruto on his face with her own about to spontaneously combust.

"_No!_"

Sakura was looking forward to get Hinata to be Ino's next 'project'. The small girl had a promising violent streak that with a little nurturing could turn into an impressive asset as the KO strike she gave Sai could attest.

* * *

Sakura was thumbing her way through _Hand_ _Seals for Dummies_ (Sai snuck it out by the expediency of having the words crawl off the page. Literally) while Naruto practiced his taijutsu with a shadow clone.

Ah-hah! Success.

"Hey, Naruto, come look at this." She glanced skywards as both Narutos looked her way mid-move causing a dual 'knockout' dispelling the copy and laying the real Naruto out on the forest floor.

The remaining Naruto grumbled as he picked himself up and stomped over, "Whaaa-t? Can't you see I'm training?" She kicked at his ankle, which he dodged with a huff.

"Whatever. Don't ask me for help then." She took an involuntary whiff and made a warding gesture. "Ugh, and where's a cleaning jutsu when you need one?"

Naruto made a face at her, "You don't smell so hot yourself." She let it pass because otherwise they would get into yet another pointless argument, and she too mature for that. Really.

"As you can see (though I doubt you can comprehend) these are the Twelve Signs of the Western Zodiac."

"Yeah, and?"

She sighed, "Meaning that each of the Twelve Eastern signs can be divided into subcategories of twelve, with a person's natural affinity for an element leaning towards their dominant trait." The light of illumination failed to well, enlighten. Sakura felt unreserved sympathy for anyone who had ever tried to actually _teach_ Naruto something.

Good at the practical he may be but he was woefully inadequate in the theory side.

"Okay, take _Tora_ for example –"

"Huh? The cat? OW!"

"No. Not the cat, Naruto." She flipped the page, "as you can see here, the Tiger sign is positioned East-North-East, third in the order of signs thus is diametrically opposed to the Monkey which is ninth in the order." An expectant look. "So trying to create a technique that utilizes two opposing signs after each other would either result in the jutsu cancelling itself out, or some sort of backlash."

"Well why didn't you just say that then?!"

"Because I'm trying to teach you something you ignorant gnome!"

They glared at each other before Sakura decided that she was above that and flipped her hair back, before continuing her explanation, "There are also complimentary signs," she ignored the elongated groan, pointing to clarify, "Take the Third Trine: Tiger works best in a sequence with Horse and Dog, though the result of the entire technique can be adjusted by altering the frequency of each sign and the order, plus the user's own focus of course -" A glazed look had overtaken Naruto's eyes; she shoved him, "pay attention! Now, chakra control is a significant part of the execution of an existing technique so the greater the wielder's familiarity with a jutsu the less they need to focus as they begin to do so instinctively, so it may come to a point (in theory) where a Special need not use any hand signs at all as they will formulate the necessary chakra near-instantaneously through willpower alone –"

"Waitaminute - So how about chakra clones then?" She mentally patted herself on the back for gaining his full attention. "They don't use any of these signs. And what about jutsu that don't use hand signs at all?"

Sakura quirked a brow, "Chakra clones, whatever their elemental composition, are ranked A in terms of difficulty and level of mastery required," his flabbergasted look was priceless, "hand signs are mostly a formality, though they can help focus the gathering of the outgoing energy to a more precise effect. Generally the jutsu's wielder is required to have perfect control of their chakra output for spacial recomposition anyway," she pre-empted his gloating; "_with the exception of_ _the shadow clone jutsu_ which automatically divides the user's life energy into _halves_ regardless of how much they have remaining thus why it's a _forbidden_ technique." He fidgeted with a sheepish grin and she rolled her eyes, "I don't even want to know…as for jutsu without hand signs I suspect that they would involve both elemental and spacial recomposition or are simply the result of the aforementioned familiarity with a technique." She shrugged, "of course, no-one's expecting _that_ from us genin so you've a..few..ye- you haven't."

Her jaw dropped incrementally as Naruto nodded, brow furrowed in concentration as a clone popped up almost silently to his right. Sakura's brain threatened to fizzle out into gibberish as a bastardized, but complete, version of one of the Fourth's signature ninjutsu, formed in Naruto's outstretched right hand.

No. Way.

"Ah, so that is the rasengan." Sakura screamed as Sai appeared behind the Narutos with his usual lack of forewarning, causing Naruto to yelp as the clone popped having lost control and he had to utilize his left hand to try and stabilize the fluctuating energy. He managed to slam it into the ground before it could blow up in his face, causing a miniature earthquake and spiralling indent in the forest floor as the energy dissipated.

Naruto let out a shaky sigh of relief. Sakura leapt over his prone form to let out her _relief_ into Sai's stupid face.

Sometimes later they were seated calmly once more.

"So where was I?" She asked rhetorically. Naruto grunted and Sai smiled around his black eye; training with the other girls had really paid off, "Right. The Twelve signs of the East can further be configured by – yes, Sai?"

The boy lowered his hand, "Sakura-san, are you an Aries?" He had a scroll out and brush at the ready.

"Er, yes." Having lost her trail of thought she picked up another, "Why?"

His rapid sweep of the brush quickly etched out a pie chart containing the image of a rat, a dragon, and a monkey around a flame. Naruto perked up and peered over. "Oh, I get it – that's the first Trine, right? And they're all fire signs?" Sakura hated to admit it, but she still did not see the point. The brush added in an outer circle containing Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, "So – oh, yeah! Aries is a fire sign so Sakura's affinity is fire and she's com- compatible with the first Trine!"

"Whoa, wait a damn minute – flashy jutsu? More your style, Naruto." Irritation that Sai had just ruined her well-thought out explanation let her disregard the fact that Naruto had actually _got_ _it_, "and that's simplifies the creation and execution of ninjutsu entirely. You still haven't taken into the account that all base chakra is composed of yin-yang energy, which combines the physical with the spiritual and the 'void' which is arguably the sixth element though can merely be considered anti-space/time dis–"

"Hey, Sai," Naruto muttered, "next time I'll ask you for hel..p?" He finally noticed her clenched fists. "Haha. I was just joking Sakura – I didn't mean it! No! Not the earRYARRRGH!"

* * *

"Good morning, team, today's task is to –"

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked with an innocent expression. Innocent in the way the Cheshire cat grinned.

"I believe that is our sensei, Naruto-kun." Sai said helpfully. "Though it may also be the result of an area genjutsu targeting our group maliciously as Kakashi-san is never on time."

"Very funny guys, now –"

"Guys?! Do I look like a _guy_ to you," Sakura tried emulating Naruto's patent 'hurt' expression with a special feminine twist, "honestly, if you really were Kakashi-sensei then you would at least know who the heck you're teaching – not that Kakashi-sensei is ever around to teach us anyway..."

"I vote that we all go out for ramen until the real Kakashi-sensei comes looking for us, whaddya say?" Naruto made a grand sweeping motion and Sakura bowed before taking his arm and offering her free one to Sai who smiled slightly before taking it.

"Nice as it is to see that you've finally got that teamwork down, how about we up the stakes a little?" The too-mild tone abruptly ended her playful mood.

"Okay, give it your best shot." Naruto was practically bouncing in place, having no self-preservation. She kicked him.

"Hm…" Sakura settled in for a long wait, "Maybe I was too hasty in nominating you guys…" She made a face at him.

"Nom-a-what? Nooo – tell me, tell meee!" Her head dropped into her hand as Naruto began hopping about in agitation. Sai sat next to her and just watched with a faint smile. Sakura wish she knew what Naruto had that could create personality transplants if only to prove that he really was the cause of such changes.

Kakashi just got out his book, neatly side-stepping the shadow clone that tried to take him from behind.

Sakura considered helping him but got distracted by the dirt under her fingernails. Huh. She needed to trim them again, maybe her hair too…

"Ahem. As I was saying," a pointed look; Naruto muttered something physically impossible under his breath, which Kakashi let past, "I've nominated you guys for the Mock Chuunin Exams and –"

"YAAY! You're the best sensei ever!" Naruto managed to glomp onto Kakashi's waist and Sakura regained interest as Kakashi flailed about with Naruto attached in a rather, erm, compromising way.

She giggled.

"Damnit Naruto, stop slobbering on me! Heel!"

"Should I help?" whispered Sai and Sakura shot him a warning glare. _Hell_ _**No**_

Finally Kakashi remembered that he could just substitute away and Sakura pouted as he did so. Naruto's enthusiasm waned momentarily but he soon bounced up and began to dance about, chanting, "Chuunin exams! Chuunin exams!"

Sakura let him have his moment then, "You do realise that these are only the _Mock_ Chuunin Exams, right?" Naruto stopped in mid-skip. "They're for the genin to practice what they've learnt and to familiarise themselves with the type of battling that normally occurs in the _real_ 3rd Level exams." He deflated.

"Correct Sakura, though they also act as a trial amongst 'friendlies' for the examiners to ascertain which have the necessary fortitude and skill to take part in the chuunin exams," Kakashi commented from his 'safe' perch in a nearby tree, "It lessens the risk of casualties thereafter."

"Well. What are we waiting for then?" Naruto smirked, "Let's go for it!"

* * *

"- a mission to find lost cat, Tora -"

"No. Never. Again," Naruto had locked into Stubborn Mule mode and had the harrumph to go with it, "Iruka-sensei, come on, we've chased that blasted cat all over the country. Can't we just put a tracking device on it?"

Huh. That was a good idea actually.

Iruka shuffled some papers to counter Naruto's beseeching look, "You know the daimyo's wife, Naruto," he did? "she won't have such a thing restricting her…pet's 'sense of self'," Iruka's face showed that he understood that sentiment about as much as Sakura did, "so just do your best and I'll put you boys," Sakura scowled, "and Sakura, of course, on the list for 'Tora-leave'," what had initially been a joke was now a necessity as the super-intelligent designer feline was as wily as a cat-burglar and had adapted to all attempts to catch it causing a time-consuming 'man'-hunt guaranteed to have even Specials froth at the mouth.

"Nooooo… Why can't Kiba do it?! He's a dog-"

"Naruto!"

"-person. Dogs chase cats so why do I," Sakura cleared her throat, "I mean _we_ hafta do this," mumble, "stupid thing."

"Yes, I can see he's matured greatly, Kakashi," came the Grand Master's dry tone as he entered the room. Sakura slumped much like Kakashi was doing as Naruto once again managed to put his foot in it.

This time she was close enough to kick him before he could talk back.

"Master," Sai bowed ingratiatingly, as Naruto swore under his breath, "despite Naruto-san's immaturity," She had to slap a hand over Naruto's mouth to muffle his, um, indignation, "he has surely proven by his performance in the mock Exams that he can keep his cool under pressure," she dared not look at the Master least he could read how much Sai had just bent the truth in her eyes, "if I may suggest that we be allowed to take on a C rank so that we may be eligible for the real Exams."

That was probably the longest thing she had ever heard Sai say. Naruto was actually going a bit watery in the eye so she pinched him to bring him back to reality.

"Very well, your comments have been noted," the Master gave them all a piercing look, "Umino, give them the mission to Wave." With that he left and Sakura wondered why he had even bothered to come, considering that he could have just passed the message on by courier. With the growing tensions between the Great Nations as the chuunin exams neared, not to mention the internal conflicts cropping up as medics demanded more pay and less working hours, the Elders voted in yet more judicial tape regarding the Academy's entrance requirements, merchant tax inflation and those were just off the top of her head through the latest news…she would think that with the Master having to mediate through it all that he would not have the time to drop off a C rank for some lowly genin.

Even if one of those lowly genin was his own son; who was currently regarding the door with a wistful expression more suited to a story about orphans.

She gave him a semi-sympathetic pat on the back.

"OW! You're always hitting me Sakura, and I haven't even done anything yet!"

Her eyebrow twitched. "Well don't just _stand there_ like some dummy then!"

"Who' a dummy?!"

"You are Naruto-kun." Sai replied helpfully, "As 'dummies' are generally dickless."

Naruto was shocked speechless. Sakura recovered first and fell over laughing as Iruka-sensei started to holler at Sai semi-incoherently and Kakashi-sensei scratched his head with an eye curving skyward.

"Um, hello? I was told that my escorts could be found in this room." A pale, strained smile twisted the speaker's lips and the faint lines about her dark eyes.

"Ah, yes, ma'am, I'm sorry for making you wait – Naruto! Sit! – do you need something? Some water, a seat?" Iruka-sensei resembled a frazzled hen.

"No. Thank you, but I'd like to leave as soon as possible." The woman glanced hesitantly over Team 7. "I–I thought that they would be a bit…_older_."

"Hey, lady! If you need an escort, then we're your men!" Sakura shook her head as Naruto got into the poor woman's personal space, "My name's Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be the greatest ninja ever! No bandit's going to get past me – you'll be home safe in no time and –"

Somehow, as the woman smiled softly, a misty expression overtaking her eyes, Sakura could not help but feel the foreboding.

* * *

**Notes:**

1 – According to 'the Biotech Century' by Jeremy Rifkin, a potential danger of commercial practice in genetic modification is that 'genetocracy (genetic aristocracy) is all but inevitable' with the division between the 'Gen Rich' – those able to pay for say the genetic enhancement of their unborn children – and the 'Naturals' – who either cannot afford to genetically screen/enhance their future child or do not wish to – widening as more and more knowledge of our very 'life code' becomes 'negotiable'.

2 – Sakura's spiel about chakra is basically my interest in various personality/energy charts gone mad (bookworm? Guilty as charged) integrated with some of the Naruto world's um, revelations, about how chakra is shaped/manipulated (still not sure if I want to bring the summons in though…)

And I'm leaving out the Mock Chuunin exams 'cause it would fit better in Naruto's section, which follows at the end of Sasuke's and has the entirety of Minato's um, chat with Naruto in it… plus I'm also missing a Sai-explanatory scene here but I think I might just leave that for his own 'interlude'…ideas? Concrit? And anything else I need to clarify? I've stared at this thing for so long I forget what seems odd…-.-'

Also will be editing some of the earlier chapters with tweaked versions when my 'net isn't being so damn…urgh. Mobile 'net any good? 'cause I will probably get that for convenience's sake (I've been having 'net withdrawal symptoms I swear…) Next chapter half finished (I know; I left it at a cliffie. Me bad ;p) and should be up at least on Lj...-cough-shouldbe-cough-deathnote-dies-


End file.
